Beyond Smallville: Time Shards
by gardy77
Summary: Time Shards is a multi-episode story revolving around Clark Kent / Superman's attempt to change Earth's future by returning to his past - he'd failed Jor El's mission - to keep Earth safe. Some new characters will interact with Smallville regulars. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Stranded

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Stranded

Beyond Smallville: _Time Shards (Teaser)_

_Time Shards_ is a multi-generational story based on "The Legends of Superman" by DC Comics. I've combined two genres: Fantasy/Action/Super-heroes with Science Fiction.

The story begins with a devastating battle between Superman/Clark Kent, Supergirl/Kara Kent and _Darkseid_. Darkseid is a demon-like alien that is bent on the destruction of Superman, and Earth. Superman and Darkseid fight to a draw but Earth is decimated in the process.

Supergirl tried to help, but she was severely injured in the apocalyptic battle. Clark/Superman/Kal El is left hanging in space, forced to watch helplessly as Earth suffers the same fate as his home planet, Krypton. The Earth is cracking apart, 2 billion humans have been killed, and the rest are dying slowly. Superman realizes his fatal mistake - he couldn't defeat Darkseid and all his minions alone. Supergirl was able to destroy most of them, but it's too late.

Kara/Supergirl finds an ancient Kryptonian relic called the "Eye of Rao" which enables its possessor to travel back and forth through time. She brings it to Clark/Superman just seconds before the Earth would explode. Superman uses it to give Earth, Kara, and himself another chance.

Superman travels back to the last days of his favorite loves like Lois, Lana, and Lauraas well as locating his arch nemesis Lex Luthor. The catch - Clark/Superman must convince Lex to help him. As Superman continues on his way backwards in time, he helps create the _Justice_ _League_, faces "Meteor freaks", and finally ends up back in Smallville.

Superman begins again as eighteen year old Clark Kent. Ultimately, Clark must change his past, and make the correct adjustments to his decisions. His goal is to have a superior fighting force to face Darkseid, when the demon alien makes his way to Earth.

_It goes by many names within the texts of popular Earth cultures, Apocalypse, The Reckoning, The Great Harvesting, Revelations, the end of all things. No matter what you call it, it meant only one thing…death. The World's Greatest Superhero came face to face with his own mortality. At the ripe old age of 199, Superman's time was up_. - Marcus Worthington.

**Superman** physically resembled a typical seventyish human male. He had graying temples, graying moustache, and a matching goatee. Clark Kent thought he might one day die of natural causes, like all of those who had gone before him. _Avoid Kryptonite and the sky was the limit_. He was wrong. Superman's final thoughts were of his long dead loved ones. _Would he see them in the_ _afterlife? Did an afterlife actually exist_? He was about to get his ultimate wish- to be human.

Humans died. Superman floated helplessly within the vacuum of space, hundreds of miles above the surface of his beloved Earth. In the blackness, Clark was truly alone. 'Death was a part of life', his Earth parents told him. Jonathan Kent had died first, protecting his secret. That was over 180 years ago.

His mother Martha was next, over 150 years ago. They were the most important people in his life, making him what he is today. Lana Lang, his first love, had been gone over 120 years.

Lois Lane-Kent, his greatest love, had left him over 115 years ago. She'd begged him to let her die, after leading her amazing life. Lois had accomplished everything she'd wanted to do. Even Lex Luthor had finally died 130 years ago, from Kryptonite radiation poisoning of all things. There had been other important people in his life, of course. Another love, Laura Lake, had passed on barely 100 years ago. Even her superior powers were no match for the ultimate equalizer, death.

Superman's life had been empty for a long time. Even so, his long term suffering paled in comparison to what had happened on Earth. Two point four billion humans dead, scores of friendly aliens were also lost in the carnage. The demonic alien **Darkseid** would be back for another billion or so lives, soon.

Earth was dying. Its impressive military arsenal had been emptied in the intergalactic war against the people of _Apokolips_. Earth's sun was slowly dimming, and that suited Darkseid just fine. He thrived on darkness, despair, and misery. Superman's light was about to go out next.

Clark had been confident that he and young Kara Kent could defeat Darkseid and his minions alone. He was mistaken. His error would cost Earth its life. Kal El had failed in his father's mission: To protect Earth. As wise as Jor El had been, he'd grossly underestimated Darkseid. The two had never met, yet Jor El knew of the warlike people from _Apokolips._ They lived for conquest_._

A tiny dot flew up from Earth's fiery pockmarked surface. It made its way in Clark's general direction. Superman was too injured, too tired, and too depressed from the fight. He wanted to move.

Make a last great stand, but his broken body wouldn't permit it. The dot grew closer. Through one bloodied eye, Superman forced himself to focus. The dot became a shadow, the shadow, a form, and the form became a body. The body was female. "Kara!" Clark croaked.

The Last Daughter of Krypton had somehow survived Darkseid's onslaught. "No! Kara! Fly away!" Superman yelled, though the effort made his head pound. Darkseid would return and take his younger cousin down next! His own death, Kal El could deal with, but Kara's was another story. She had to go on, to preserve the Kryptonian race. The flipside was that as long as Kara existed, there was hope, albeit slim. Kara the Super Girl flew alongside Superman. She didn't like what she saw.

"Kal? Kal! By Rao you are alive!" Kara Zor El's sweet voice echoed through Superman's tormented mind. "Not for long." Clark stated. His space suit had been shredded. The titanium reinforced face shield had been shattered, causing the loss of one eye. His arms and legs dangled uselessly. "Oh Kal…you can't…" The pretty alien girl had become a beautiful woman of 170.

She'd survived the recent battle, escaping with only a broken arm that hung limply behind her. Her golden hair had now turned gray and it was matted with dried blood. Kara had suffered a few severe burns as well, not that it would matter when Darkseid returned to finish her.

"We failed, Kara." Clark admitted mournfully. She carefully held onto his arm to keep him from drifting further out into space. Kara dragged him back towards Earth's gravity well.The **Super Girl** from Krypton floated before him. With her good hand, she lifted off the useless broken faceplate of Kal El's helmet.

He could exist in the vacuum of space for a long time, though not indefinitely. The cold lifeless air hit Clark's face. The oxygen deprivation was starting to affect his mental capacity. _Was his young cousin actually there beside him or was it an illusion_? He pictured her as the beautiful sixteen-year old alien who'd always been so full of life. Now Kara's eyes were darkening and her cheeks began to hollow. She handed him something, an oxygen mask.

"Kal? Kal? Can you hear me?" Kara prodded. Clark gave her a barely perceptible nod. "Kara? I can't move my arms or my legs. Darkseid's attack was complete. You should go now, before he returns to finish me and Earth's denizens off." Kal El warned her, though every word he spoke made his head hurt more. Kara grabbed the portable oxygen mask and shoved it over Clark's nose and mouth. Superman inhaled the fresh oxygen deeply, and it made his punctured lungs burn. Kara was crying. "This is wrong! This is all wrong!" She half yelled, making Clark wince.

Kara removed the oxygen mask after a moment and took some breaths herself. "I know Kara, we failed. We were entrusted to save Earth and we failed!" Clark's voice was a bit stronger as he mentally blocked out the pain, which made his mind spin. Kara lifted the oxygen mask off of her mouth and flipped the valve on the tank shut to conserve the precious air within.

"There was nothing more we could've done, Kal!" She reasoned. "We had no way of knowing that Darkseid's Shadow Forces would devastate Earth. We thought we could handle them, but we were wrong." Kara began to drag Clark back towards Earth. "No, don't bother with me, Kara. It's over." Superman's raspy voice had returned. "I wish we could do it over…"

Kara stopped flying. "It's not over, Kal!" She said excitedly as she held her slim side. The Super Girl had a few broken ribs and some minimal internal bleeding, but she would live, though with Darkseid on the prowl it likely wouldn't be very long. Kara inhaled a wheezing breath. "There's only one option left. I'll need to get the _Eye of Rao_." She stated with determination.

"The what?" Superman was skeptical as he flashed her a puzzled glance. Kara was stunned. "How could you have forgotten it? I told you about it when I first landed on Earth after Reeves Dam broke. My guess was that someone had hidden it beneath the Artic Ocean." Kal was still confused. Was it the oxygen deprivation, or had Clark's mind been altered some other way?

"I knew it!" Kara snapped. "This is all wrong!" Superman still wasn't following his younger cousin. "Okay I'll try and keep this short." She explained. "I remember from basic Physics and Time Line Study at school back on Argo. Time wasn't linear. All things can exist at all times within the dimensional universe. Any sixth grader knew the story, the various formulas, and mathematical equations." Clark winced. "Kara, get to the point, we have very little time…" He complained.

"That's exactly it, Kal. With the Eye of Rao we have as much time as we want." Kara continued. "Earth children were never advanced enough to comprehend Quantum Physics." She became more animated with every second, gesturing wildly. "I guess I missed that class." Kal muttered. Kara sighed. "Here's the background info, cousin Kal:

The Eye of Rao is part legend and part fact. Rao was an ancient Kryptonian deity that people worshipped, prior to the discovery of energy crystals, which forced the society to progress intellectually. Our crystals enabled the major leaps in technology that Krypton enjoyed for eons. Zod attempted to ressurect the deity's legend based on his belief that Rao would bring him power. The primitives were controlled by Rao's persona, which one wise Kryptonian, Zod's ancestor, figured out would band the wandering tribes together under his control.

The primitives carved an image out of ice. Embedded in the sculpture's face were two large orange gems. What no one knew at the time was that the gems possessed unusual physical properties. Each eye could show the past or future to the one who owned it. Each gem had nine facets. Within each facet was a shard of crystal. The shards were multicolored, similar to an Earth rainbow. Each shard acted as a prism, refracting light and more…one shard gave its possessor one trip through time, either forward or backward."

"Zod's ancestor figured that out." Clark put in. "Bingo!" Kara exclaimed. "It bends time and space. We know that space and time are relevant to where you are in the universe." She added.

"Both eyes serve as a sort of portal, or gate, to open and close between dimensions." Kara informed him. "Like Darkseid's Boom Tubes!" Clark mentioned. "Exactly, Kal." Kara glanced around nervously, expecting Darkseid's Black Fleet to attack at any moment. Clark listened attentively, though his mind kept trying to wander.

"The Eyes of Rao with the crystals intact were left within the idol in the long abandoned Temple of Rao. My father, Zor El, forbade me to ever enter the temple. He felt that it held no educational value. Most of the Argonites treated the temple as an eyesore, a reminder of a primitive long forgotten race. At most it was considered an archeological or historical curiosity."

"Except for Zod." Kal put in. "You stole them, didn't you?" Kara smirked. "Not exactly. The day I disobeyed Zor El and entered the temple, Zod was on his way to the idol. My eldest sister, Sanja, caught him and reported Zod to the Council of Elders. They added it to Zod's growing list of offenses against Krypton. He never got another chance to steal them."

"I hid one Eye of Rao in my cryo-sleep chamber. That was all I had time for before Krypton exploded. The other Eye was presumed lost in the debris." She finished. "Where's the Eye now?" Kal asked the obvious question. "I don't know. The Brain Interactive Construct stole it when we fought and defeated it. However, I wanted to find out…so I kept a fist size piece of BRAINIAC in my ship."

Clark fumed. "You mean that we didn't destroy all of BRAINIAC?" Kara nodded sheepishly. "I knew you'd be mad, Kal. It was still a piece of home that I couldn't part with. Don't worry, I reprogrammed the BRAINIAC piece to focus on one directive only…to find an Eye of Rao." She defended. "And did it?" Superman asked tiredly. "Almost. I've narrowed the search down to one sector of our galaxy. Three or four solar systems at the most." Kara informed him.

"Unfortunately I can't make it there with my injuries, in time to return before Darkseid's next assault. I'll have to try. It's the only hope we've got." She added bravely. "Come with me Kal, we can find it together." Clark considered this. "I'd just drag you down. Kara, you'll have to try it on your own. Even if you can find it, how does that help us now?"

"I think we can use the Eye to go back along the timeline to some point before Darkseid's initial attack, somehow stop him, get help, or warn Earth." Kara stated. "Darkseid's so powerful that an early warning may not make much difference." Kal mentioned. "We need to increase our power as well. If we're successful, this whole timeline won't exist, and we could save billions of lives."

"Lois used to call that a WAT, a wild ass theory." Clark chuckled, though it hurt. Kara enjoyed any mention of Lois. She was the first human to befriend the teen alien. She'd come to look upon Lois as an older sister, to make up for some of the family that she'd lost. Kara was devastated, when she watched Lois die. It had taken her years to partially get over it.

"It's all we've got. Now that we know how truly powerful Darkseid is, we can prepare to take him on." Kara insisted. "You're right." Kal agreed. "The only hope that we have, and that Earth has, is for this to work." He added dejectedly. "If it fails, we're all finished anyway." Kara nodded and gave Clark back the oxygen mask. _It was over, one way or the other_, he thought sourly.

"What time period would you aim for?" Clark questioned tiredly. "As early as possible, say the first time we met…was that 2007?" Kara replied. "The challenge will be to find the correct time shard. I've never done this before, but it makes sense that this timeline won't exist or be changed."

"As the humans say in Las Vegas, I have one more card to play." She added, and reached down below her titanium alloy breastplate, which had helped to deflect some of Darkseid's minions' plasma weapons. Kara brought out a fist-sized chunk of blue Kryptonite. She'd been able to modify the meteor rock piece to heal Kryptonians. She pressed it against her broken arm.

Kara grimaced as she felt her mangled bones untwist themselves and knit back to normal. The pain was intense, but worth it in her opinion. She removed the fragment and held it against Clark's back. Immediately his big blue eyes healed, one arm began to snap itself back into place, and one leg fracture molded back to its original state. Superman resisted the urge to yell.

Soon, the blue kryptonite's power faded away. Kal was now partially healed, yet far from perfect. "That's it, Kal. That's all the healing power it had left." Kara removed the blackened stone, now a useless piece of meteor rock.

"One more thing...Kara...shove me towards the sun." Kal said as his voice grew weary. "What? No!" She was horrified. "Please...do as I ask..." Superman pleaded. "I can survive a few moments longer...as the yellow sun's radiation strengthens me." Kara shoved him and cried, "I love you."

Next Chapter


	2. Chapter 2: Battle

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Battle Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Battle

**_Battle_**

Kara watched helplessly as the world's greatest superhero spun slowly end over end towards the sun. She hid her face in her hands. Supergirl felt more than saw or heard the disruption in the cold silence of space. "No!" She turned just in time to witness three waves of starships shimmer into view, surrounding them. The first wave of ships split from the others and took up eight equidistant points encircling the Earth.

The second wave formed a loose arc between the moon and Earth, while the third wave set out towards Mars. Suddenly Clark's progress toward the sun stopped. Kara watched in horror as Kal was dragged back near her by an unseen force. Half of the second wave of starships rotated in place to face the way they'd come, the other half spread out, releasing scores of smaller ships. Neither of them had seen this style of spaceship. "Those aren't Black Fleet fighters!" Kal observed tiredly. The miniature ships were each about the size of semi-tractor trucks, though they were delta shaped.

The fighters separated into groups of four. They quickly darted toward the Earth's surface in diamond-like formations, placing themselves within the atmosphere. They began to circle the globe, like an Air Force patrol squadron. "That doesn't make any sense." Kara remarked. "Why wouldn't Darkseid just blast Earth?"

Two much larger starships assumed positions roughly above Earth's shrinking Polar Regions. They weren't as streamlined as the other ships. They resembled pictures Kara had seen of antique Earth dirigibles. Another ship was medium-sized dagger shaped, and appeared to be the center of attention. "A command ship?" Superman guessed. Kara floated beside Clark worriedly.

A young alien female stood confidently on the command center platform of her starship. She viewed a holographic array of the force's positions. She had multicolored long stringy hair, a small face, was petite in size, and her most unusual feature was two pointed ears jutting outward from a position on her head higher than a human's. She wore a simple blue and gray tunic, tied at her slim waist. She also wore a golden colored belt with a number of alien devices attached to it.

The alien girl was obviously in command. An 'R' shaped golden pin was displayed in a prominent place on her ample chest. "Fleetwide, Communications officer." She directed. "Yes Captain." A middle-aged male with greenish colored skin and red eyes confirmed. "Fleetwide."

"This is Captain Ryla Stardragon of the _Dragon's Beckon_. All departments report." The girl's high tinny voice boomed throughout the fleet, as well as echoing through Kal and Kara's minds. They winced at the loud volume. Reports poured in from every section and every ship.

"Lieutenant Kaloth, are your snubfighters in place?" Ryla singled out the young squadron commander leading the patrols across Earth. "Yes Captain, welcome to Earth." He quipped. "What's left of it,"Ryla sneered. "Interdictor ships _Katenga_ and _Paramount_, are you in position as well?" There was a crackling of interference during the response. "In position, Captain." Lt. Kol Mekk affirmed. "Commander Bel Coros, are the net drones in place?" Ryla questioned.

The tall dark-haired thirtyish human responded. "All set, Ryla." Dyken Bel Coros was not used to responding to authority, being the rogue captain of his own ship for many years. Ryla cut him some slack, as she gave the next set of orders. "By your command." Areka Thaca replied more formally. "Prepare neural net…engage." Ryla gave the final order. The eight drone ships were unmanned and served a single purpose. "Net deployed." Lt. Thaca confirmed.

An orange colored grid appeared, invisible to the naked eye, but brilliantly displayed on the holographic mission planner array. Each of the eight drones was an anchor for an energy net that encircled Earth like a giant blanket. "Force net secured Captain." Lt. Thaca concluded.

"Nothing gets into or off planet." Ryla explained to everyone on her control platform. "It's not perfect, but it should give us a temporary edge against Darkseid's Black Fleet." Brandon Kaloth spun his lead snubfighter into a tight corkscrew above central North America.

"Lt. Kaloth, what are you doing?" Ryla asked angrily. "Just getting used to the Earth's atmosphere, Captain." Ryla sighed. "Fine. Can you survey the damage from there?" Brandon flipped on his cockpit viewscreen. "Yes Captain. Here's the live feed."

A highly detailed map of the United States appeared beside the mission planning hologram. It was pockmarked similarly to the rest of the world. Several cities had been completely destroyed.

"It's just like _Kargonis_ all over again." Ryla spat angrily. Another ship roughly the size of the _Dragon's Beckon_ shimmered out of hyperspace. Its momentum carried it past the outer rim of defense starships along the perimeter of Mars and its moons. Captain Ryla grinned.

"The _Akbaht's Folly_." "Greetings sis'" A cheerful male voice crackled over the comm. units.

"Brother Ronin, welcome!" Ryla sounded relieved. "I'm sorry that we were late to the party. You wouldn't believe the traffic in this quadrant." He joked. Ronin and his shipmates had to fight through the Black Fleet's defenses as well. "Glad you can join us." Ryla shot back. "Are Rialo and Fralek with you?" Ronin spun his uncle's ship around to face the _Dragon's Beckon_. "Affirmative, sis', as well as Jaina Solo." Ryla gasped. "You brought a _Jedi_ with you?"

Ryla turned her attention back toward the superheroes. "Let's continue our mission." The young captain's nimble fingers flipped across her communications console. "Hello Kal El and Kara!" Ryla began. "It is said that Kryptonians have superior hearing to most beings…" Her voice seemed to be coming at Clark and Kara from all directions. "If you can hear me please acknowledge in your normal voices." She directed. "A highly focused sound array is pointed at your location."

"Uh…this is Kara…who are you again?" The young commander of the starship waved at her communications officer. "Boost the gain please." The officer complied. "I am Captain Ryla Stardragon of the _Dragon's Beckon_, that gold starship on your right. We are here to assist." Clark couldn't believe his ears, _an entire fleet of help_? It was unimaginable. _Would it be enough_?

"This is Kal El." He croaked. "Do you understand what you're up against?" Ryla smirked, a very human-like gesture for the alien to pick up. "We are well aware of the Black Fleet's capabilities, Kal El. We just fought our way through an entire quadrant of Darkseid's forces."

"Prepare to transport Kal El and Kara to the medical frigate." Ryla ordered her Medical Officer. "No." Clark protested. "I'm severely injured and there's nothing…" Ryla interrupted him. "Then it is fortunate that we have an expert in Kryptonian physiology on board. She calls herself Alexandra Kent." Kara gasped. "Alexandra Kent?" She parroted.

Ryla gestured for Alexandra to approach the communications console. "Hi Kal El…uh…it's an honor to meet you." Alexa began nervously. "I guess I'm your great, great, there's a few more greats in there, granddaughter." Clark reddened. "How?" Alexa sighed. "We don't have time to get into it. Suffice it to say that somewhere along the timeline you found a way to reproduce." Alexa sheepishly admitted.

Kara snickered, though she was still in shock. The young medical sciences officer continued: "I have something of yours…or at least of Krypton's. It's a colorful artifact…interested?" Alexa teased. "The Eye of Rao?" Kara's big blue eyes widened. "Yes." Alexa confirmed. Kal was skeptical. "That's a little too convenient."

"Hardly Kal El." Ryla butted in. "Our current mission is to bring you this Eye of Rao, in hopes that you can right many wrongs. We are part of the Interstellar Resistance Movement, sworn to oppose Darkseid, and his insatiable lust for conquest and subjugation. Darkseid's forces are formidable, and we lost thousands of IRM soldiers. That pales in comparison to Earth's losses, projected to be in the billions. Earth was to play an important role in the galaxy's future."

"Permission to leave the ship, Captain?" Alexa formally requested. "Granted. Take a snubfighter Dr. Kent, and be quick about it. We're almost out of time." Ryla instructed. "Kal, Kara, I'm coming out to get you." Alexa stated. "We can make it to your ship." Kara offered.

"Negative." Alexa said over her shoulder to the array. "Our access codes are genetically based. Only crewmembers are allowed on or off ship. I've been monitoring your vital signs Kal, and you are near death. Conserve your energy." Kara was horrified. "I'll bring him closer."

Alexa quickly zipped through the airlocks using her Kryptonian hyper speed. She found the launch deck and hopped into an orange and black snubfighter. Leaving the _Dragon's Beckon,_ she rocketed close to Kal and Kara. Putting the two-man fighter on hover, Alexa and Kara helped Kal into the cockpit, closed the canopy and spun the fighter around to return to the launch bay.

"Kal El and Kara of Krypton, welcome aboard." Ryla greeted them formally over shipwide. Immediately, Alexa had her staff bring them to the med-deck. Ryla closed her eyes, using the force to contact Jaina Solo. _We have completed the first phase of our mission_, she reported to the young Jedi.

Alexa covered Clark with a warm blanket as she and Kara placed him on a type of stretcher that flew under its own power. Though he was dazed, Clark still managed to glance at his great-granddaughter. There was a definite family resemblance. Alexa had long black hair tied neatly in a ponytail, bright blue eyes, and... _Lois's high cheekbones_? Clark was amazed.

Back on the control deck, Ryla checked over her viewscreen one more time. Every ship remained in place. "Commander Z'Beth (pronounced Zee Ah Beth) you have the con." She instructed her second in command. The cat-like alien nodded.

"By your command." Z'beth confirmed, slurring her 'R'. "If there is any change in status, contact me immediately, i'm going to personally greet our guests." Ryla quickly headed for the med-deck, under the watchful eyes of Dyken who shook his head with disapproval.

Clark reluctantly lie in a hover bed, with Alexa and Kara at his side. "I hate being such a bother." He grumbled. "No bother at all, grandfather." Alexa taunted as Kara smiled. _Yes, she had Lois's smart alecky sense of humor_, Clark mused.

Alexa pulled out a number of blue and yellow crystals from beneath a cabinet. "This is going to hurt." She warned as she placed one crystal on each leg, arm, and neck of the injured superhero. "Whoa!" Clark grimaced as the room spun. Pain shot up and down his spine. Kara helped hold Kal down in the bed.

Ryla reached the medical bay just after Clark's 'surgery'. "How's our patient, Dr. Kent?" She inquired as Kara beamed. "He'll be fine, Captain. Though he'll be sore and have a bad attitude for a while." Alexa quipped, and Kara burst into laughter.

"Not so fast, missy." Alexa said. "Let me see that arm of yours, and your ribcage." Kara quieted. Alexa used her x-ray vision to assess Kara's injuries. "I have just the thing for you." The young doctor shoved a blue crystal underneath Kara's breastplate where it contacted bare skin. "Yeow!" The supergirl yelped.

Ryla grinned. She immediately took a liking to her 'ancient' guests. "Kal El, we are kindred spirits." She began as Clark paid full attention to her, all seriousness again. "My brother Ronin and I are the last survivors of our race, the D'Zan (pronounced Dee ah zonn). An evil species of conquerors attacked our home world of Kargonis many years ago, destroying it and most of my people."

"I'm sorry." Clark commented. "It is we who are sorry, Kal El. If we could've reached Earth sooner, perhaps we might have been able to prevent some of the deaths. However, Darkseid is a formidable warlord. Ronin and I are 'beings of light' meaning we draw our energy from light or goodness. Darkseid, as his name suggests, draws his energy from darkness, or evil."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Alexa remarked. "Exactly." Ryla agreed. "Part of your mission Kal El, should be to contact us sooner, that we may begin preparations to save Earth from Darkseid, and by doing so, would save this entire quadrant from falling into the hands of his minions."

"Mission?" Clark questioned. "Yes. This is your battle, Kal El. Only you, of all beings in the galaxy, can go back in time and prevent centuries of bloody wars."

"So Doc, when can I get out of here?" Superman began. "Soon, Kal, I'd like you to rest for a while." Alexa answered. "We have very little time, Alexa." Ryla reminded her. "Perhaps you should retrieve the artifact?" The Captain suggested. "Sure." Dr. Kent pointed at her patients. "I mean it Kal, you and Kara need rest." Alexa used her hyper speed to head for her cabin.

"Amazing." Kara watched as Alexa sped away. "Kal, you old dog!" She teased her cousin. "I never knew." Clark defended. Ryla grinned. "Neither did I, until recently. Maybe the timeline has already been altered." She remarked. "I should think that you'd remember your offspring."

Alexa returned promptly with the Eye of Rao safely secured in a transparent case. It sparkled under the intense lighting of the medical bay. "It's beautiful." Kara observed. The light glinted off the artifact and created a rainbow effect against the sterile white walls of the room. "Don't let its beauty deceive you, Kara." Ryla warned. "The item has tremendous power. I've felt its influence through the Tide." Clark's eyebrows rose. "The Tide?" Alexa reverently removed the Eye of Rao from its case.

"It's a long complicated explanation Kal El." Ryla began. "The simple version is that the Tide, or the Force, as its called in some cultures, is a type of universal energy that binds all things together. It can be used for good or evil, depending on one's preference."

Alexa handed the Eye of Rao to Clark. It was circular in shape, about the size of Superman's fist. The majority of the gem was forged in gold with silver edges. As predicted, it had nine facets, each containing a multicolored crystal within it. The crystals continued to refract light.

"Any idea how it works?" Clark asked his great granddaughter. "All I know is what the Kryptonian legend tells us." Alexa replied. "You hold it in your hand, press a crystal, and you are supposed to be transported back or forward into the space and time of your choosing."

Clark flipped it carefully over. Sure enough, a series of ancient Kryptonian symbols were imprinted into the gem's backside.

Kara examined it closely as well. "What if I press a shard and it doesn't do anything?" Clark wondered out loud. Kara put her hands on her shapely hips.

"Unfortunately, we don't have time to analyze it." Ryla's gaze grew distant. "They're here." She said menacingly. "Who's here?" Superman asked warily. "The Black Fleet. Our time is up." Ryla stepped away from the medical bed. "How could you know that?" Kara was astounded.

"The Tide, or the Force, if you prefer, gives me a warning when something of great importance is about to happen." Ryla added. "Think of it as a stone being tossed into a placid body of water. The surface ripples away from the stone. It creates a type of shockwave." As if on cue, Z'beth was paging Ryla on the ship's intercom system. Kara and Kal exchanged glances.

"Captain Stardragon, there are several subspace distortions beginning to appear on the long range scanner." The cat-like _Felinahri_ (Fee lin are ee) was already excited and began to slur her speech. Ryla pressed the golden 'R' on her chest and said simply; "Fleetwide! Battlestations!" Her tinny voice echoed across the fleet. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Kal El, Kara."

Ryla bolted for the door. "I must return to my command post. As the humans say, good luck!" With that the young commander was gone and Alexa frowned. Clark attempted to get up. Kara roughly shoved him back down. "Rest! Remember Kal? Doctor's orders." She joked.

"I can't just sit here and let Darkseid wipe out all of these good people!" Superman protested. "This is no longer your fight, Kal." Alexa argued. "When Darkseid attacked the IRM worlds, it became our fight. You need to concentrate on getting well and learning how to use the Eye of Rao. Let us handle this battle, grandfather." Alexa teased. "Should you learn how to work the Eye, I'd suggest you take some healing crystals back with you. They'll prove useful."

"Where'd you get them?" Clark pressed. "From New Krypton." Alexa stated proudly, shocking them both. "New Krypton?" Kara echoed. "Yes, it's a beautiful planet, far from here. There are hundreds of thousands of residents, directly descended from your families. They'll be in danger as well if Darkseid is allowed to continue on his destructive path. That's why this must end here."

"Some of us survived?" Kara was skeptical. "Yes, at least a few." Alexa responded as she bent over and kissed Clark's forehead. "Save us all, grandfather." She added tearfully. Kara was already running into hyper speed, as Alexa followed close behind. Clark was left alone in the medical bay. He sighed and examined the artifact. _This is a real longshot_, he silently reasoned.

Meanwhile Ryla was at her command center directing the melee. "Z'Beth, modulate the grid sections of the net to change frequencies. We don't need Darkseid to catch on to our little ploy." She instructed. "As you wish." Zbeth hissed, baring her fangs. Ryla spun her console assembly to face the rear of the deck. "Commander Dyken, are you ready to man the quad laser canons?"

The tall human seated himself in the weapons array console, which gave him nearly three hundred sixty degrees of firing angles. "On it, Ryla! Let's kick some butt!" He adjusted the sights on his display. Ryla spun back to her holographic imaging array. She checked the positions of all craft.

"Lt. Kaloth! Its up to you and the other squadrons to reinforce the shield net from below, checking for any weak points." Ryla stated. "No doubt that Darkseid's forces will attack the same section grids repeatedly." Eight sets of four snubfighters spread out along the Earth's upper atmosphere. They could remain flying within the light gravity indefinitely.

At some point they would still need to be refueled. Ryla would have to deal with that at the appropriate time. It was Ryla's hope that the battle would be mostly over by then. "Way ahead of you Captain." Brandon reassured her. For emphasis, the cocky young fighter pilot spiraled through the air above Canada. Ryla's personal communication pin buzzed. "Yes? Captain Stardragon here."

A determined young female voice crackled over the comm badge: "Jaina Solo. Darkseid is approaching. I can feel his cold presence within the Force. Captain Stardragon, his reign of terror must end here." Jaina menaced. "Understood. We will see to it personally, Jaina Solo."

Kara and Alexa dashed into the snubfighter launch bay. Alexa's genetic code was needed to access the bay and the ships within it. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Alexa offered. "No Alexa, your medical service will be needed here. Darkseid is my problem, now!"Kara replied.

Meanwhile, Ryla was was at her command console.

"Weapons on line?" She questioned her best friend Dyken. "Yes Ryla. I've checked with Ronin, Rialo, and Fralek on the _Akbaht's Folly_. They're standing by as well." Ryla nodded. "Very well, Commander. Fleetwide!" Ryla snapped at her communications officer.

"Everyone! This battle is the single most important one we've faced. Failure is not an option." Ryla directed. "Any slight spatial distortion in your sector is a boom tube. The standing directive is to fire immediately, without hesitation, and without communication. Let's get it done!"

The first circular rip in space began to appear on Dyken's viewscreen. He fired the quad laser battery into its center. Several rapid rounds made the boom tube collapse on itself. That closed the entrance into Earth's solar system. "Yeah!" Dyken shouted as he blasted two more boom tubes out of existence. The battle would wage on. Eventually, a boom tube would be missed, allowing a Black Fleet starship or one-man fighter into the area.

Those craft would have to be destroyed ship to ship. A hyper powered boom tube opened just beyond Mars. It was too massive for any single starship to eliminate. Darkseid was here. A second large boom tube spiraled into existence at the opposite end of the battle theater.

Alexa hugged Kara farewell. "I hope that Kal El is successful. As I stated, far into Earth's future, New Krypton will be created. You and Kal are no longer the only ones left of our race. I don't know exactly how, but you, Lois, and Kal will figure it out."

"Yes we will." Kara affirmed. "Thanks for all of your help." She grinned. "But don't ever call me great grandmother!" Alexa laughed and stepped back into the safety zone. She used her genetic code to open the _Dragon's Beckon's_ launch bay. Kara glided out into open space again. She didn't have long. _Kal had to succeed now. There was simply no other way_.

The bay doors closed behind her as the airlock hissed shut. Kara looped around the _Dragon's Beckon_, circled the moon, and switched into hyper speed, extending her arms before her. She made two fists and accelerated to the highest possible speed she could manage.

Kara spied her target. She would ram Darkseid's ship broadside. An unfamiliar voice echoed through her head. _Kara, you don't need to sacrifice yourself, we will defeat Darkseid_. Kara ripped into the massive starship. _Some of Darkseid's minions will be killed_, Kara mused, as she tore through the outer hull and then the secondary hull. _I never wanted to kill anybody, but this is war_. She skewered control panel after control panel, as the ship caught fire.

Kara felt as though some unseen hand was guiding her. She blasted through decks with her heat vision. _You can't kill_. The voice in her mind said. "What do you expect me to do, smile them to death?" She asked out loud. _Who am I talking to_? She wondered silently.

_Kara you must put aside your feelings, vengeance, anger, fear are the tools of the Dark Side_. The voice in her mind was female. "Huh?" She asked the empty corridor. _I still have to fight my way_ _through Darkseid's minions_. _He'll be protected to the max_. Kara flew over a group of soldiers. They all fired their hand laser disruptor weapons at her.

Naturally, the bolts of energy bounced harmlessly off the Supergirl. She barely noticed any of the hits. In fact, Kara didn't really feel anything. _You can't kill_, the irritating voice repeated. "Fine!" Kara swooped low above the soldiers and smacked their heads together. It wouldn't kill them.

They fired their weapons at each other and did substantial damage to the starship. Kara suddenly went vertical, rocketing through floors and ceilings in her quest to confront Darkseid. Alarms whooped, sirens flashed, and a myriad of warnings were issued in dozens of languages. The starship would explode soon. She entered a large area that was likely the communications center.

Kara slowed to a stop high above the floor. About half dozen or so technicians gazed up from their consoles. "Get out!" She shouted and blasted conduit after conduit of wiring with her heat vision. The techs ran from the room without any argument. Kara trained her laser vision on the central command console, and blew it to pieces. The starship was effectively dead in space.

Next, Kara tore through some bulkheads, and ended up in a large deserted room. Using her x-ray vision, she spotted Darkseid in the next room atop his throne. She flew straight towards the door. Suddenly she dropped to the floor, plastered against a metal deckplate. Kara felt like she'd been swatted like a fly. Her sensitive hearing picked up Darkseid's maniacal laughter.

"Kara Zor El. Welcome!" The demon alien said, knowing that she could hear him. "By now you've figured out that I've increased the gravity in that room to 10 times that of Krypton. Foolish girl, you thought you could defeat me alone?" Kara barely forced her head up a few inches.

She strained to use her x-ray vision to locate the room's control panel. Kara used all of her energy to burn the inner workings of the door with her laser vision. Soon the panel overheated and caught fire. Kara was immediately thrust to the ceiling as the room went zero gravity.

From the room's top Kara hit hyper speed and smashed into the door to Darkseid's lair. She punched it several times, only denting it. _Time to think outside the box, girl_, she encouraged herself. Kara flew in a right angle, bursting through a sidewall to the demon warlord's room.

"Impressive." Darkseid praised. "No matter." Kara instantly used her heat vision to blast the evil dictator. Her entire shot deflected off an unseen forcefield in front of Darkseid, setting the carpeting, and part of the wall behind him on fire. The demon lord looked surprised.

He returned a blast of his own, as twin fireballs shot from his eyes, stopping at his side of the forcefield. "What?" Darkseid yelled as the fireballs spun back into his eyes, temporarily blinding him. "Auuughh!" Kara lunged at the black skinned alien with both fists extended. She aimed for his chin. Her punches bounced off the forcefield and sent her tumbling backwards onto the floor.

One more time, Kara used her red-beamed laser vision to hopefully disect the murderous thug. The beams deflected off the invisible shield and shot upwards, tearing through the upper two decks of the ship and opening two holes into outer space. The vacuum sucked out equipment, and broken ship pieces. Fortunately, the decks were already unmanned.

Green energy bolts shot into the hull of the ship where Kara's laser blasts had weakened it. The hole widened enough for a single snubfighter to zip through. The two-person fighter landed softly on the deck above them. Kara was ready to attack Darkseid, when a forcefield imprisoned her. She couldn't move in any direction. The demon alien's vision had cleared and he was about to retaliate, when the fighter's canopy popped off and two figures emerged. They jumped down the two to three stories of decking to land before Darkseid. One was male the other female.

Kara watched helplessly as the newcomers flanked the demon warlord. "Darkseid, I am Ronin Stardragon, representing the Interstellar Resistance Movement. You have been charged with high treason, genocide, and attempted genocide. We're placing you under arrest."

Darkseid laughed throatily. "Do you think I care about your insignificant rules and your paltry rebellion?" The female gazed at the evil dictator. "You are also charged with high crimes against the _New Republic_, such as conquest, enslavement of _New Republic_ subjects, and the destruction of worlds. You are ordered to appear before the _Jedi Council_." She added, and with one wave of her hand, reduced the flames surrounding them to mere smoldering smoke.

"Silly children!" Darkseid scoffed. "You have no idea who you're dealing with!" The girl was unimpressed. "Haven't I? Does this mean that you refuse?" She taunted. Kara looked over the two outworlders. Ronin was about Alexa's age, which she estimated to be 21 in Earth years. He had long brown hair tied in a neat ponytail, vivid violet eyes, was a bit stocky in build, and wore a simple silver and black tunic. There was an "R" shaped communications pin on his shirt pocket.

Kara remembered that Ryla also sported a similar brown belt with several items attached to it. One item in particular intrigued her. It resembled an ancient Earth flashlight. Ronin reverently detached the flashlight-like thing and held it before him, _a weapon of some sort?_

"Who dares to order me around?" Darkseid bellowed. "Jaina Solo, Jedi Knight." The girl who answered had long reddish blonde hair, looked to be about the same age as Ronin, was average in height and build, wore a loose fitting white tunic and she carried one simple item on her thin belt. It reminded Kara of one of her Aunt Martha's candleholders back in Smallville.

"Do you refuse to come back to N _ew Republic_ headquarters on Coruscant?" Jaina put the challenge to him again. Darkseid battered the invisible force field with his gigantic fists. "I'll take that as a no!" Jaina quipped. "Very well." She detached the candleholder and waved it at Darkseid. "This is your last chance." She warned. "No!" Kara yelled. "This is my fight!"

Ronin turned slowly to check out Kara. "When Darkseid attacked the IRM and the _New_ _Republic_, it became our fight. This is not your battle, Kara Kent." Jaina spun quickly around to face her as well. "You can't kill." She simply stated. "You? You were the voice inside my head?" Kara was incredulous. "There is a right way and a wrong way to do things." The young Jedi continued.

"Now you sound like my cousin Kal." Kara grumbled. Jaina smirked. "Darkseid!" She turned back to the demon lord. "Your reign of terror ends here." She moved her hand downward, as the candleholder hissed to life. Kara saw a bright red beam shoot out of the item's end and remain in place. Ronin readied his light stick as well. It had a vivid purple beam extending from it.

The two young people advanced on Darkseid. Jaina quickly finished dropping her hand. Immediately, the demon warlord fired two blasts of yellow and orange flame from his eyes. Ronin deflected one blast with his stick. Jaina deflected the other with her light saber.

Darkseid, freed from Jaina's invisible shield, lunged for the Jedi Knight. It would prove to be one of the last things he did in this world. Jaina easily sliced one thick arm off of Darkseid's torso. Kara gasped in horror. "Give it up, Darkseid!" Ronin challenged. Darkseid howled in pain.

Jaina somersaulted above the demon writhing on the floor, as Ronin zipped across the room to defend Kara if need be. He placed himself between Darkseid and Jaina. With his remaining arm, the demon warlord groped for Ronin's foot. He easily sidestepped the attack. Darkseid clambered up to his knees. "End this now, Darkseid!" Ronin threatened. "Call off your assault fleet!"

"I will not be dictated to!" Darkseid countered arrogantly. Jaina pointed her light saber at Darkseid's throat. "So be it!" Jaina said menacingly. "This ends now." The demon warlord sneered. "It is of little consequence. There are other dimensions and realms to conquer." He stood up as straight as he could and tried to smash Jaina's skull in. Kara hid her eyes. Ronin was at the ready.

Jaina easily dodged his arm and with a neat pirouette, sliced Darkseid's head off with her light saber. Finally the light in the demon lord's eyes went out. His head hit the singed floor, followed by his bulky body. Darkseid was finished…for now. Kara gasped, but wanted to cheer. Ronin shook his head. "Let's go!" Jaina urged. "We still have an intergalactic war to stop."

"Kara, remember what I've said." The young Jedi reminded her. "If Kal succeeds in his plan to rearrange the past, this battle may never take place. We know that billions of humans' lives were lost. Darkseid will return somewhere in your past. Earth must be ready. After you and Kal's friends and loves are long dead, you two still have a greater destiny to fufill."

With that, Jaina and Ronin vaulted upwards, landing cleanly next to the snubfighter. Kara watched them spin the vehicle around and zip out into the blackness of space, exiting the way they'd come. _I better see how Kal is doing._

Kara glanced at the grim remains of Darkseid, turned her back, and flew off through the starship. The Black Fleet flagship was about to explode. It was likely that she could survive, but decided against the risk. About halfway through her route, she spotted three of Darkseid's minions trapped beneath some fallen wreckage.

Sighing, she freed them. The multicolored aliens looked confused. Kara chased them away towards the escape pods. They didn't look too swift. Darkseid had probably plundered their worlds and kept them as slaves, Kara mused.

She did one final sweep of the ship, and saw no one moving. Kara left as the Black Fleet flagship began to explode from the center on out. She flew into the vacuum of space and headed for the _Dragon's Beckon_. Kara stopped. _Where had it_ _gone?_

"Captain Stardragon!" Came Z'beth's frantic warning. "There is another ship entering the solar system through a boom tube." Ryla whirled to check her holographic viewscreen. "Configuration?" She pressed her science officer. "Its hyper drive signature indicates a _Daemonstrata_ warship, roughly twice the size of the _Dragon's Beckon_."

"It's powering up weapons…firing at Earth!" Z'beth hissed. Ryla watched as two large bursts of energy impacted the Neural Net that the IRM fleet had set up to encircle Earth. The blasts bounded off the shielding and into open space. "Shield integrity?" Ryla questioned.

"Down to ninety seven percent, Captain." The Science Officer replied. "Unacceptable!" Ryla exclaimed. "Explain it to them, weapons officer!" The thin, lizard-like sub-commander complied. The _Dragon's Beckon_ hurled two powerful bursts of superheated plasma at the enemy warship.

Both hit their mark. A piece of the Daemonstrata flagship's outer hull burned to a crisp, but the overall damage effect was minimal. "She's heavily armored!" Dyken added unnecessarily. "Analysis, Z'beth." Ryla inquired. "We cannot defeat the Daemonstrata warship alone. It will require at least one more of our assault craft, preferably of the same mass and weaponry as the _Dragons Beckon_ to begin its destruction." Ryla paced across her command deck.

"Very well. When Ronin and Jaina return to the _Akbaht's Folly_, we will begin a simultaneous assault." Ryla directed. "Captain!" Areka Thaca yelled into the fleetwide comm system. "The Black Fleet's flagship, _The Death's Face_, is going to explode!" Ryla silently cursed. "Evacuate the front line of defense!" She ordered. The communications officer relayed the coded directive.

Seven of the IRM attack starships scattered like frightened birds, taking up positions along the rest of the solar system in roughly a straight line, placing themselves between the Daemonstrata warship and the _Dragon's Beckon._ Exploding in a fiery mess, _The Death's Face_ shattered and its twin hyper drive reactors caused a major shockwave that buffeted all of the ships in system.

The Neural Net was briefly disrupted, like a strong wind blowing through a curtain. Fortunately, the Daemonstrata missed their opportunity to create some more damage, as the massive warship listed over to one side before righting itself. The Black Fleet starships slowed to a crawl. They knew that Darkseid had been killed in the blast, and a major power struggle ensued.

Ryla could use the confusion to advance their agenda. As soon as the shockwave dissipated, she reset the fleet to take up positions between the Black Fleet, Earth, and the moon. Even the powerful Daemonstrata warship was no match for a fully ready and weaponized IRM assault force. The black and gray hulk held back near the rear of the solar system.

"He's lost his nerve." Dyken assumed. Ryla tended to agree, but was cautious. "Lt. Kaloth, have you solidified the weakened parts of the Neural Net?" She asked the young snubfighter pilot. "Already on it, Captain." He responded. "Quite the fireworks show tonight, wasn't it?" He joked.

"Indeed, Lt." Ryla forced a thin grin. "Our mission is nearly complete." She added quietly, so only Dyken and Z'beth could hear. The Felinahr's large ears perked up as she listened intently. "We are apparently at a stalemate, Commander Dyken. Now is a good time to check on our guest." Ryla concluded.

_Like to read more about Ryla Stardragon and the D'zan? Check the Star Trek or Star Wars_ _fandoms soon_. - Author.

END

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	3. Chapter 3: Rewind

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Rewind Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Rewind

_In most cases we only get one life to live, one chance to do whatever we can, to make a difference. Superman found a way to change that._ The alien superhero discovered that outside of Kryptonite, he was practically immortal. He figured that he still might die of natural causes one day…but not this time. Kal El wasn't certain that this would work, but it was worth a shot. All of his favorite humans were dead, yet Clark Kent pressed on. - _Marcus Worthington_, 2010

Superman had realized early on that he couldn't save everyone. He also admitted his failures. His mission was to save Earth…he'd failed miserably. Arguably the most powerful being in the galaxy, he was going to rewrite history…all of it, at least altering the last 200 Earth years.

On board the _Dragon's Beckon_, Clark and Alexa stood silently watching the battle on holographic displays along the medical deck. "We are at a stalemate, grandfather Kal." Alexa spoke into the uncomfortable silence. "Yes, it looks that way, Alexa."

"Have you heard from Kara?" Clark wondered aloud. "Unfortunately not. I wouldn't worry. She's very powerful. I'm sure that she left the _Death's Face_ before it went supernova." Alexa reassured him. "I guess that I'd better give this Eye of Rao a try. No one knows how it works?"

Alexa shook her head as her long black ponytail waved behind her. Clark returned to a seat beside his medical bed. Her eyes followed him closely. Superman picked up the Eye of Rao, and attempted to decipher its writing to no avail. "I guess it will be trial and error." He remarked.

"Okay grandfather, I'll give you one more quick check up." Alexa said as she flipped some keys on her Medical Database Analysis Terminal. "Voiceprint activation." She ordered. "Authorization Dr. Alexa Kent, XM531." The MDAT replied loudly. "This thing can be really annoying at times." Alexa commented. "I usually keep it on silent."

Clark laughed. _Just like Lois_, he mused. "Analyze Kryptonian male in this room, stat!" Alexa directed. MDAT came back. Dr. Kent sighed. "Using common Kryptonian database parameters, is he fit to return to duty?" Clark saw a faint pinkish glow and felt something like a brush of warm wind. "Acknowledged." Alexa cut the system off. "There you go grandpa Kal, you're all set."

Clark smiled. "Are you sure you're related to me?" Alexa pretended to be offended. "Let's find out. Authorization Dr. Alexa Kent, XM532." "Compare Kryptonian female Dr. Alexa Kent with Kryptonian male, Kal El. Match percentage of DNA, rounding to two decimals." Alexa stretched leisurely.

_"Compiling...subjects XM532 and XM533 DNA match to 84th percentile_."

Clark shook his head in disbelief. "List remaining 16 percent matches. Summarize." Alexa looked puzzled. "Earth subject Lois Lane...13 percent, Earth Subject Lana Lang 2 percent, Kryptonian Kara Zor El ...1 percent." Alexa beamed. "Oh, that's because Kara and I hugged in the launch bay."

"What?" Kal nearly jumped out of the chair. "I never married Lana Lang, and how did Kara get involved?" Alexa shrugged. "Perhaps history is already somehow being rewritten. Anyway, it ought to make for some interesting conversations if you get back to Smallville." The system buzzed. "Analysis complete."

"Oh shut up!" Clark snapped. Alexa stood with her hands on her shapely hips. "I guess this is it, grandpa Kal. The whole galaxy and then some is counting on you." Alexa hugged Clark tightly. "No pressure there." He quipped. "It was an honor to meet you." Dr. Kent sniffed. "I'm proud of you Alexa, keep up the good work." Clark praised.

"Just continuing the Kent tradition of saving lives." Alexa forced a thin grin. Superman held the Eye of Rao before him, and distanced himself from Alexa. "Let's see if this works." Clark pressed the facet with the bluish gem. "I wish I was in Kansas…Metropolis specifically, near the Daily Planet, on December 17th, 2050." _Boy, I feel stupid doing this_, he groused.

Alexa gasped as Superman disappeared. "Grandpa Kal?" Silence. "Computer...Dr. Alexa Kent…XM532. Where is the Kryptonian male, Kal El?" the computer responded: "_Kal El is not aboard this ship."_

Alexa dropped into her plush chair as everything went black. The Black Fleet and the IRM starships were no longer in system. The sun shone brightly as Earth silently rotated in the blackness of space.

Superman was outside the _Dragon's Beckon,_ being pulled towards the sun. He accelerated to far faster than he'd ever flown before. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea_, he pondered silently. Kal knew that he and Kara derived most of their abilities from Earth's yellow sun.

He felt himself becoming stronger and his density growing. If he survived this, Superman knew that he would be rewriting history. That weighed heavily on his mind, rationalizing that he couldn't stop both Darkseid and the Brain Interactive Construct, (BRAINIAC) alone.

Everyone Superman knew in the past would have to band together with him. If they were to save Earth, everybody would have to contribute. He had wasted too much time in his youth, trying to become 'normal' whatever that meant. He'd played it safe and now all bets would be off.

Superman's co-heroes at _Sanctuary_ (the watchtower station) Batman, Wonder Woman, Nightwing, John Jonz, Green Lantern, the Flash, Green Arrow, Cyborg, Aquaman, Batgirl, Robyn, and Hawk Girl would come around too late in history to stop Darkseid and Brainiac. Clark would have to start a youthful _Justice League_ much sooner. It would give Earth an edge.

Superman watched as Mercury spun past. He could feel the intense heat of the sun's outer layer now. _I'm too close_! He guessed as he forced himself to fly slower. A type of multicolored corridor had enveloped him. Superman tentatively brushed against the nearest particle wall.

The wall was pure energy, and immediately shredded his left sleeve. "Whoa! Okay! Stay in the center, I got it!" Light began to bend and he felt like the forces would pull him apart. A blinding white light was ahead of him. Clark was pulled through it. Suddenly the air began to cool.

Superman heard a loud roaring thunder and something hard hit him in the face and chest. All motion suddenly stopped. He could feel the damp ground beneath him. Kal warily opened one eye. The other was still seeing multicolored spots. Birds chirped, children yelled, something not far away whizzed past him. _It looked like Earth_! _It had worked_! _He was alive_! _But when was it_?

Clark wobbily rose to his feet, holding his head, which throbbed. "That wasn't very fun." He muttered. He searched the bright blue sky for any sign of the IRM snubfighters. Nothing. Two young girls zipped by him on airborne skateboards. They stared and laughed, but kept flying.

_Okay the anti-grav skateboards were perfected by 2050_, so far so good, he considered. Kal determined that he was in Metro Central Park, Metropolis, a few blocks from the Daily Planet. After the cobwebs cleared, he began walking normally towards Main Street.

_I guess I'd better grab some decent clothes, my 22nd century gray and black outfit with the golden elongated 'S' on the chest, had never been seen in this time period. I'd stand out like a sore_ _thumb_. Clark developed his plan. The Justice League was great, but _we're going to need more help._

Superman would have to encourage and somehow control the beings called meta-humans. They could be pooled into a formidable fighting force. Their jobs would mostly be in search and rescue, settling smaller disputes, and fighting common crime, like a superhuman police force.

That would free up more time for he and Kara to begin a preemptive assault on BRAINIAC. Darkseid was too far out in space to be a factor early on. _Metallo_ had partnered with BRAINIAC after LexCorp had created Roger Corbin's alter ego. Their first line of attack would include him.

Clark considered all this as he crossed the somewhat unfamiliar street near 4th Avenue. A few people stared at him, but bustled about their business. Superman had wasted valuable time confronting Metallo, keeping Corbin at bay while BRAINIAC was en route to Earth.

A team of trained Metas could certainly handle the man turned robotic killing machine. Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake had nearly defeated Metallo on their own, seeing as how they were immune to the effects of his kryptonite heart. The Meta-human assault team had a stake in its own future as well.

The Metas were kept in the shadows, an embarrassing failed experiment by some international governments. They were natural mutants, devoid of any kryptonite influence, unlike the myriad of meteor-freaks in Smallville.

Clark gingerly stepped upon the familiar sidewalk across from the _Daily Planet_. He examined the headline monitor screens where the old newspaper kiosk once stood. The physical paper had gone the way of the dinosaur, replaced by the Internet, News Net, and finally International Net. Information distribution had gone totally digital, most of which had been wireless since 2025.

One reality that never changed was that natural power ruled the world. True power involved money. Influence had always been bought and sold like a commodity. It was a sad fact of human life on this diverse world. Superman checked the _Daily Planet's_ Net display to determine the exact date.

"Got it!" Clark said quietly. The Eye of Rao, safely tucked away within a hidden pocket inside his outfit, had actually worked. _So much for old legends_…Clark was a full day ahead of schedule. The Eye had sent him back over a hundred years!

With renewed enthusiasm, Kal set out for Metropolis General Hospital. He'd thought about checking on Lois, but she wasn't integral to this time period. She would likely be his last stop before returning to 2007 Smallville. Money equals power equals influence, Clark recited.

This meant that he had to convince Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, Marcus Worthington, and Lex Luthor of the truth. Earth's future hung in the balance. Lex would be the hardest to convince. He only looked out for himself. Marcus, Oliver, and Bruce were already on the right path.

Clark pondered Lex for a moment as he steadily walked towards the hospital. The billionaire was all about himself, his lust for power, greed, and self interest. Superman would have to bank that Lex would put his own survival above all else. He needed Lex on his side. Coercion seemed to be the way to go with him.

Clark could prove that cutting deals with Corbin, Brainiac, and Darkseid was of no real value to Lex. The wealthy business mogul would embrace a bargain. Superman smirked.

Clark Kent and Lois were in New Gotham chasing down a story, so there was no danger of Superman encountering his other self. He approached Metropolis General, and waited for Merci, Lex's long suffering girlfriend to clear the area. She'd taken over running Lex's empire, since he'd grown terminally ill. Clark zipped up to Lex's room, and casually strolled in.

He found that Lex was under sedation. Superman grabbed a stimulant from a nearby table and injected the hypo into his archenemy's veins. Shortly thereafter, Lex was awake, alert, and ornery. Now in his 70's, Lex scowled as he saw Superman hovering over his bed.

"Superman?" Lex grumbled. "I must be having a nightmare. I told that fool nurse to take it easy on the morphine." Clark sat straddling a chair. "No Lex, I'm here, as big as life." He said cheerfully, knowing that it would irk Lex. "Why are you here, Superman? What's with the gray outfit? I like the goatee and moustache, though. It gives you character."

Superman grinned at his former boyhood friend. "Same old Lex. I'm here to tell you that by this time tomorrow you'll be dead." Lex's eyebrows rose. "You're here to gloat, Superman? That's not like you." He retorted. Clark crossed his arms. "No. I'm here to offer you another chance."

"A chance at what?" Lex frowned. Superman relaxed in the chair. "Lex, did you ever wonder what really happened that first day that I met you in Smallville?" "Smallville?" Lex echoed as Clark propped his foot up on the hospital bed. "You drove your silver Porsche right into me, knocking me off the bridge and into the river."

Lex growled. "Flying too close to the sun all those years has fried your brain, Superman. That was Clark Kent." Kal smirked. "Was it, Lex? Are you sure?"

Lex coughed roughly, unable to answer, as a few drops of blood splattered on his pillow. "Of course it was." Superman taunted. Lex thought about that for a moment. His eyes went from hatred, to wonder, to wistfulness, and back to anger. "Clark? You mean I was right all the long?" He croaked.

"Yup. I'm the old flannel king farm boy, Clark Kent." For effect, Kal pulled out the ancient black-rimmed glasses he once wore, and put them on. Lex almost smiled. "That makes you the greatest liar of all time, Sup…uh…Clark. I'm impressed. Congratulations on the grandest deception in the history of the world."

Kal removed the glasses, stuck them back into an inside pocket, and produced a small vile of yellowish orange liquid. "Lex did you ever wonder why you've been in such ill health in recent years?" Clark pressed.

"Of course I wondered, idiot! Now that I'm on my deathbed, you come clean? I've had the best doctors in Metropolis, not to mention the world, poking and prodding me for years. None of them could find a cure for whatever this is."

Clark held the vial up against the light. "This is the cure for your disease, Lex." The eldery billionaire's heart monitor started beeping incessantly. "What? How do you know?" He asked in an agitated tone.

Clark had taken the time back on the _Dragon's Beckon,_ to zip through their advanced database, and create cures to eight of the most deadly diseases known to humans. The cures were easily available on file already. Kal simply downloaded the chemical mixtures into hypo-sprays.

He'd hidden the hypo-sprays beneath the outer layer of his suit. Clark could always sort out the morality of the issue later. In his mind there was no guarantee that the Eye of Rao would even work. "Lex, the disease is extreme delayed radiation poisoning." Superman informed him.

"The disease is based on the meteor rocks that we now know as kryptonite. Long-term exposure to the kryptonite is virtually 100 percent fatal to humans. You know that chunk of green kryptonite that you've been carrying around for years to keep me at bay? It's killing you."

"How ironic, Clark!" Lex grumbled. "You couldn't have brought that to my attention sooner? Say twenty years ago?" Superman stared at his one time friend. "Would you have believed me if I had?" He countered.

"No, of course not!" Lex admitted. "Now what about this cure, Clark? Or is it yet another lie?" Superman fiddled with the bottle, dangling it over Lex's head."I can cure you. The question is, do you want to be saved?" Clark offered.

"You're going to make me beg, aren't you?" Lex asked tiredly. "No. I do have conditions, though." Kal teased. "Name them!" Lex challenged. "First of all, you'll get rid of all your kryptonite at once."

"After that, we'll talk. Dump all the kryptonite into that landfill near Route 12. I'll have that taken care of by someone else." _Say Batman_. "Call up your cronies right now and give the order, unless you'd rather die? I won't ask again." Clark handed Lex the phone.

"You had better be right, Clark." Lex menaced, though he simply had no other choice. "Candace? This is Lex. Give all of the kryptonite deposits to Superman, immediately. Put it under his signature authority only. That's an order, unless you'd like to be unemployed?" He barked.

Lex handed the phone back to Clark. "This is Superman. Place all of the kryptonite into lead containers, and drop them in the landfill on Route 12." He gave Lex the phone. "Do it, Candace!" He ordered as he clicked off the phone. "Your call, Superman." Lex challenged. "Now what happens?"

Lex coughed painfully. "You're just going to let me die, won't you?" Superman shook his head. "No Lex, I actually need your help." Lex scoffed. "The great Superman needs my help?" Clark waved the vial in front of Lex again. "I'll give you half the cure right away." Kal bargained.

"The other half, I'll bring tomorrow. Don't worry, you've still got about 24 hours. After I've seen to the kryptonite, I'll be back. Here's something for you to think about." Clark poured half of the vial's contents into the water glass. "Drink this." Lex guzzled it down, wincing.

"Lex, you are not my worst enemy." Clark began. "Believe it or not, you've just been a major annoyance. I've seen what true evil is like." Lex grimaced, nearly choking on his words. "Sure, kick a guy when he's down, Clark." He grumbled.

"I have power Lex, true power. The power you can't even begin to dream about. I have the power to cheat destiny, the power to defeat fate itself."

"Superman on an ego trip?" Lex sniped. "Now I can die a happy man. I truly have seen everything." Lex coughed and began to convulse. Clark held him down until the reaction had passed

"That's nasty stuff, Clark. What is it?" He finally got out. "I don't have a name for it, Lex. I ran across it a few years from now." Kal teased. "A few years from now?" Lex echoed. He was still coherent enough to pick up on Superman's unusual phrase.

"Yes Lex, now I am the master of destiny. If you could go all the way back to Smallville, would you do things differently?" Lex looked thoughtful as he felt his burning lungs starting to cool. "How so?" Clark leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.

"With confronting any problem, I can affect the future. I can do something good, do something bad, or do nothing at all. Each decision has consequences." Lex was intrigued. "Clark, what are you saying? You can prevent things from occuring?"

Kal nodded. "Yes. That's all I've ever done, Lex. My Earth dad, Jonathan Kent used to drum that into me every time I used my powers. I can prevent people from dying, let them die, or hopefully prevent them from destroying themselves."

Lex was silent. It was the first time he truly understood Clark / Superman. "There's a much larger picture here than us, Lex." Clark concluded. "I don't have any regrets, Clark." Lex added coldly. "Yes you do, Lex." Clark insisted. "I even have several regrets, one of which involves not being able to save you the first time around."

He let the words hang in the air for effect. "You can't save everyone, Clark." Lex sounded like his old self back in Smallville. "Sure I can, Lex." Superman narrowed his eyes.Lex thought he saw a fire in the aging superhero's eyes that he'd never seen before. "Now that's just insane, Clark. Maybe you should be in this bed instead of me."

Superman ignored his comments. "Here's the deal, Lex." Clark began seriously. "I'll come back tomorrow with the rest of the cure. I want you to think about all this as well. You have to decide for yourself. I'm going back, Lex, all the way back." Superman said with conviction, startling him.

"Back where?" Lex wondered out loud. "I'm going back to Smallville, around 2001, when we first met." Superman's eyes flared red. Lex's eyes widened. "You're nuts Clark! But I like it! Time travel? Is that even possible?"

Clark smirked. "I'm here, aren't I? My question to you is…do you want to go back too? It will be a second chance for you. If you rid yourself of the kryptonite, you may live to be a hundred.

Keep in mind that I have a photographic memory, and every last dirty deal and rotten project you've worked on, I'll already know about it. If you fall back on your evil ways, I'll stop you."

Lex stared at him open-mouthed. "You're serious Clark, but how?" Clark shook his head. "Nope. That's not your concern. I'm going back and I'm damn well going to get it right this time!"

Superman had a confidence and conviction in his eyes that Lex had never seen before. "Its not as if I have much choice, Clark." Lex complained. "I disagree Lex, remember you always have choices." Kal got up and said, "Think about it, I'll return tomorrow and await your decision." He headed towards the window and flew off. Lex lay there stunned.

His chest did feel a lot better. He could feel the passageways in his lungs open up. Lex inhaled deeply for the first time in months without any pain. _Superman was telling the truth, damn_ _him_! Lex thought excitedly.

_It wasn't exactly a Faustian Bargain that he had made with the Man of_ _Steel_, he mused. _If Clark wasn't off his annoying superhero rocker, I could go back. I'd have my_ _fortune and start over. The kryptonite was a small price to pay for a second chance_. He just hoped the alien farm boy could deliver.

Superman sailed over Metropolis, debating his next move. He checked the Eye of Rao, and the crystal shard he'd pressed was now clear in color, presumably out of power. There were eight colored shards left, eight more chances to change the past and the future.

The next day, Superman walked into Lex's room, disguised as Clark Kent, glasses and all. "Well Lex, have you reached a decision?" The elderly billionaire coughed roughly and cleared his throat. "I'll try it your way Sup…er, Clark. I'd be crazy not to go back if my only alternative is to become worm food."

Kal El smirked. "I'll take that as a yes, Lex. Remember, I've already been there, so I'll be ahead of you, if you try and pull something." Lex grumbled. "Yeah. Yeah. One thing still bothers me, Clark." Lex's weary eyes narrowed. "Why do you want me to go back at all? I mean what do you get out of it?"

Superman wisely expected that question. "You're going to help me save the world." He teased. Lex tried to laugh, but his chest heaved and his vital signs dropped into the danger zone. "It's time." Kal El said simply.

Clark gave Lex the rest of the futuristic medicine. "That stuff is nasty." He complained. "Give me a good bourbon any day." Superman sat on the edge of Lex's bed. He put his hand on the elderly man's arm, while holding the Eye of Rao in his pants pocket, out of Lex's sight.

Lex shivered and his chest felt like it was on fire. "We're going back, all the way back." Clark said quietly as the room spun and appeared to disintegrate before their eyes. There was a blinding flash and the two archenemies sailed into the time tunnel vortex.

Lex's eyes widened as he felt his body change, becoming lighter and stronger. Superman's goatee and beard evaporated as they sped backwards through time. There was a rolling thunder, and the multicolored tube turned black. "Wow! What a trip!" Lex commented as their momentum slowed.

Suddenly Lex was underwater, and Clark was pulling him to the surface. The familiar gray Porsche had been torn in half, serrated like a can-opener might have done. This time Lex was conscious and wet as Superman placed him on the shore below the bridge.

"This is where it all started…" Kal El began. "Lex, you've been given a second chance. Take advantage of it." Lex felt his youthful body and rubbed his baldpate. "I never thought I'd say this Clark…but thanks. Now what?"

"We save the world." Superman answered smugly. Clark dove into the water and physically picked up the damaged Porsche and placed it on the highway atop the bridge, simultaneously bending the metal roof back into shape.

Lex stared at him open-mouthed. "Amazing!" Kal quickly spun in place, instantly drying his clothes, back in his familiar red flannel shirt and bluejeans. Lex whistled as he examined his own look.

The billionaire was now back in his early twenties, wearing an expensive shirt and pants, covered in a sopping wet black overcoat. Superman blew at Lex, drying his clothes with near gale force strength breath.

"Whoa!" Lex brushed the dust and pebbles from his coat. Clark smirked. "Lex, your fatal flaw was underestimating Superman." Lex's brow furrowed. "You talk like Superman is a different person." He commented.

Clark nodded. "Kal El and Clark Kent are who I really am. Superman is my creation." Lex rubbed his thin youthful chin. "Now it makes perfect sense." Kal stood alongside his friend turned enemy back to friend again.

"I underestimated the magnitude of the problem as well." Superman admitted. "Here's your cell phone." He handed the antique to Lex. "Now the crash can be explained easier." Lex shook his head. "I can't believe you pulled this off, Clark."

Superman shrugged him off. "I'm just getting started. We all have a lot to do." Lex studied his new look for a moment. "One more thing, Clark." He began hesitantly. "What major evil are we supposed to be looking out for?"

Kal thought about sidestepping the question. "Let's just say you were partially right...we're facing an alien invasion. They're not rogue Kryptonians. This evil makes the worst of the human criminals look insignificant."

Lex gulped, weighing the depth of Clark's statement. "I'm also getting more help." Superman added. "The alien problem is so bad that you couldn't handle it?" Lex prodded. "Exactly. Kara and I were both defeated." He replied.

Kal reminisced about his beautiful younger cousin, as he let the statement hang in the air. "How can we win..." Lex asked bluntly. "...if you and Kara couldn't?"

"We're all going to have to pull together." Superman answered. "You and I, my other friends, and the human race in general. Even with all of that influence and firepower, we may still lose. We have to try. There is no other option."

Clark glanced around warily. "We'll be in touch, Lex. I need to get started." The youthful billionaire sighed. "Super...uh...Clark, thanks." He said sincerely. Kal zipped off using his hyper speed. Lex gaped as he flipped open his phone.

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter


	4. Chapter 4: Second Chances

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : _Second Chances_

Superman flew ahead into the future, using the greenish shard within the Eye of Rao. He was aiming for the exact night of his ex-lover, Lana Lang's death. Having already decided to change Earth's history, Kal El decided to change his own as well. By traveling back in time, Clark would save billions of lives, starting with Lana's.

It was 2063 and Lana had lived a full, rewarding life. Now 77, Lana has two children in their late thirties, Laura and Louis, whom she named after her deceased parents, who were killed in the first meteor shower. She also has six grandchildren, Lisa, Vanessa, Clark, Anthony, Peter, and young Linda. Her husband Richard had died recently.

Lana was seriously ill. She was too weak to recover from an unnamed disease. It was like her heart couldn't pump anymore. She was always in pain, and had trouble breathing. What's more, after her husband's death she'd appeared to lose the will to live. A lifetime of stress was about to claim her.

Lana lay in her bed peacefully fingering the kryptonite necklace. She had created the trinket herself because it reminded her of her parents, and Clark. The crystal was ashen white. It suddenly began to glow faintly green. A cold breeze swept across her body.

Superman had quietly opened the window to her bedroom and climbed in. He's wearing all black, with no cape. "Lana?" He asks warily, trying not to startle the elderly woman. The gray-haired old lady painfully turned her head towards the window.

She looks at Superman with loving eyes. "Clark? I must be dreaming!" She croaked. "No Lana, I'm here." Kal El walked over to the bed and places a hand on her cold, wrinkled arm. "Clark? You didn't forget me!" Lana said as her breath ran ragged.

"I could never forget about you Lana." Superman carefully takes a seat on the edge of her bed. Lana reaches out to touch his chin. She brushes her hand against his goatee and moustache. "I don't care for this look, Clark, it makes you seem mean and old. Shouldn't you be out saving someone?" She needled. "I am." He pushes a strand of thin gray hair away from her face.

"I'm saving me." Kal El admits. Lana's dark eyes begged a question. "What?" Clark sighs. "Lana this won't be easy for you to hear. I don't quite know how to put it…" Lana put her hand in her lap. "I'm dying, Clark." She finished for him. "Yes." Clark says solemnly. "The doctors are wrong."

"You don't have a touch of pneumonia. You have contracted a rare bacterial infection from somewhere. There is no cure." He concluded seriously. "That's okay, Clark. I've lived a full life. I have loving children and grandchildren. They've made me very happy. It's normal, you know." Lana tried to shrug, but couldn't. Clark shook his head. "Nothing about us has ever been normal."

"How about you Clark, are you happy?" Lana asked bravely. "No Lana, I'm not! It's not fair!" Clark protested. "You're leaving me forever, and alone." He put his head in his hands. "What about Lois, Kara, and all of your friends?" Lana argued. He bent in closer to her.

She reached up with one gnarled hand and rubbed his cheek. "You need a shave." She teased. "Lana, you can't leave!" Kal El insisted. "Clark, we all have to die sometime. Life goes on. It must be terrible for you though." Superman nodded. "What if everyone I knew was gone?" He countered.

Lana was silent, considering all that Clark had gone through. "It's like a curse, Lana. Everyone I know is gone…or will be gone." Lana held Superman's hand. "There's nothing we can do about it, Clark." He looked deeply into her clouding eyes and saw his first love. "Yes, there is Lana. Do you have any regrets?" Lana weakly shook her head.

"None, Clark. Well, maybe one. But now it's too late. I had a generous, loving husband and family, who cared about me." She replied. "I don't want you to be alone, Clark. Find someone to love." Clark frowned. "I have. I love you." He admitted. "What about Lois?" She pointed out.

"I love Lois, too. She's not you, though." Clark added. "We couldn't work it out ultimately. Jor El saw to that by making me give up my powers if I married a human."

"Ooh that Jor El!" Lana said with unusual fire in her voice. "I'd like to throttle him myself! Who does he think he is, anyway?" Clark laughed. "That's my girl!" He kissed her forehead.

Clark took Lana by her gnarled hand and placed it above his heart. "Lana, what if there was a way for us to be together?" She stared at him vacantly. "Even if I was healthy, Clark, I'm old now and frankly not very much fun." Lana said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Lana, I'm going back!" Clark stated bluntly. "Back where?" She asked as she sniffled, fighting back a tear. "I'm going back to Smallville about sixty years ago!" Clark said with determination. "Oh Clark! That's crazy talk! I thought I was the one going senile!" She teased.

She forced a smile. "Still, it would be fun to see everyone again. Remember that time Chloe caught us kissing in the loft? Or when your mom and pop caught us coming downstairs from your room? I was embarrassed." Clark laughed as they walked through memory lane.

"Ooh! Remember when I kissed you in front of Lois at the Daily Planet? I bet she was pissed!" Lana's smile grew brighter. "You bet she was! Lois didn't talk to me for over a week!"Clark snickered. By some miracle, Lana found the energy to sit up and hug Kal El.

"I wish it would have been possible for us to get married and have a family of our own." Lana said into his ear. "Don't get me wrong. I loved my husband and our children. It's just that they're not you." Clark released her. "I know that you loved your husband and he was a good man." He added earnestly. "I have one last question…"

"Lana, will you go back with me?" She pulled away from him and stared into his eyes. "What? Go back? You know that's not possible…is it?" Clark smirked. "Clark Kent! I know that look! You're up to something!" The elderly woman shook a finger at him.

"I have the means to go back in time, Lana." Clark announced as he pulled the Eye of Rao from his pocket. The shard he'd used to find Lana was dimly lit and pulsated occasionally. Lana gasped. "This is the Eye of Rao, an ancient Kryptonian device. It creates time portals."

"The crystals in their facets were fashioned from a neighboring planet Berypton within the Kryptonian solar system. It is one of two known to exist. Kara and I haven't found the other one yet." He handed it to Lana who was still in an upright position. "Wow! That is something!" she admired.

"I've used it twice already." Superman continued. "I don't know how many more times it will work." Lana turned it over and over in her feeble hands. "Time travel, you say? I guess I wonder if we _should_ do that. Won't it change history?"

"I mean what about my children and grandchildren? Would they cease to exist?" Lana's mind was still sharp. "I found a way around that, Lana." Clark said as he retrieved the artifact. Lana's foggy eyes were drawn to the colorful images within it. "I've learned a lot in the next fifty years or so."

Superman joked as he explained. "We tend to think of time as linear. As if there were a beginning and an end to everything. We were wrong. For the lack of a better example, time is like a drinking glass, or a mirror. If you shatter it, the shards fly everywhere. Its still the same glass, but now each shard is in a different environment."

It took a moment for Lana to digest the statement. "Meaning that any reality could exist separately from others. You and I are here now, yet we are also back in the past, and may very well be in the future if all goes well." Clark explained. "When the environment changes surrounding one shard, the others remain stable. In this life, your children and grandchildren will exist after your death."

"Clark that's fascinating!" Lana wished she could've come up with stronger words. "In a different reality, you and I are young, single, and probably in some kind of trouble." Kal El nodded. "Exactly." Lana was still hesitant.

"Are you sure that it wouldn't affect my children and grandchildren?" "Positive. As I see it, I wasn't instrumental in getting you and your husband together, therefore, their futures are intact."

"Okay Clark, you sold me on it." Lana wanted to kiss him, but couldn't. "I get the feeling that there's more to this than you just trying to claim a lost love." Superman looked away. "You're right as usual." He admitted.

"I went ahead into the future. I didn't like what I saw. The world had been destroyed." Lana gasped. "Destroyed? How?" Kal El trembled as he recalled the painful memory.

"There was a horrible war between two future enemies of mine, BRAINIAC and Darkseid. They were both powerful off-worlders that Kara and I couldn't handle alone. This is the main reason that I've come back in time. I figure that we'll have to mount an army to defend Earth."

"We'll have to give them, meaning us, a fighting chance. The aliens struck without warning, Earth fell under their control in less than a week." Clark revealed darkly. "No!" Lana cried out. "What can we humans do, if you and Kara couldn't defeat them?" Kal El groaned.

"Lex and our own U.S. Government turned against us. The frenzy of fear caused our own government to use kryptonite against us. They caught us off-guard. Metallo and Lex joined forces to conspire against Kara and I."

Lana put her head in her gnarled hands. "We killed ourselves? But when? I never heard of any attacks against you." Clark thought about that. "I noticed that. Perhaps someone else has been messing with the timeline. Or this is a different reality? The bottom line is that I failed to protect Earth."

"Lana, this is my mission. This is why Jor El saved me and Zor El saved Kara. I failed, and I mean to change that." He added with determination. "I'm in. But how? I mean just the three of us?" Lana pointed out.

"No. We'll put together specialized teams. I made the mistake of not trusting people early enough to stop this holocaust. Lana, if you'll fight by my side, we can stop the annihilation. We must stop it. Failure is not an option.

We still may be fighting for your children, and your children's children. We don't truly know how powerful Darkseid is, let alone BRAINIAC." Superman prodded.

"Wow! When you put it that way, Clark...of course I'll go back with you." She coughed roughly. "Did you ever take anyone back with you before?" Kal El shook his head. "No, this will be my first attempt. I"ll be by later tonight. Get some rest."

"Clark, make sure you're back before...you know." Lana swallowed hard. "I know Lana. I will. I've got the exact moment memorized." He replied as she lay back down. "Clark I feel so at peace now. All of these years I watched you save people time and time again. Now I can make a difference, too."

"I know you can, Lana. I'll see you later." Superman kissed her on the forehead and silently slipped back into the dark night. Lana felt a surge of adrenaline. She had a new purpose, a reason to go on living beyond her precious family. She could be productive again.

"Retirement is overrated anyway." Lana muttered as she carefully got out of bed. She hobbled over to the closet and put on a decent dress. The elderly woman lumbered down the stairs. Lana was a true fighter.

"Mom! What are you doing out of bed?" Laura asked worriedly. Vanessa and Lisa ran towards her. "Gramma!" They yelled in chorus. "The doctor said complete bed rest, mother!" Laura insisted as Lana waved an arthritic hand at her in a dismissive manner.

"Bah! Doctors! What the hell do they know anyway?" Lana let the youngest girls lead her to the couch. She sat down and smiled. "Girls? Did I ever tell you about my friend, Clark Kent?" She began as the children settled in her lap. Laura watched her mother intensely. _She hadn't talked about Clark in years._

Lana rubbed her kryptonite necklace. Why hadn't it affected Clark like it usually did? She wondered amidst her story. Clark had one more stop to make. He brushed the greenish facet of the Eye of Rao, which glowed dimly.

Superman landed atop the neatly decorated rooftop deck of Lois Lane's condo near the outskirts of Metropolis. The elderly ex-love of his life was up late busily writing her memoirs. "Lois?" the raven haired beauty was now gray-headed and tired. She glanced up from her holographic image array.

"Clark? You look like hell." Lois said. "Gee thanks, Lois. Nice to see you, too. How would you like to write the story of the century, in fact of a few centuries?" Superman teased. "I'm listening." Lois smirked as she shut down her project.

The next night, Clark silently climbed into Lana's room. She was wide-awake and shivering. The elderly woman's breath was ragged and weak. "Is it time?" She asked with aprehension. Clark nodded. "Lana, I can't guarantee this will work." He admitted solemnly. "It doesn't matter, Clark."

Lana forced her aged body into an upright position. "What matters is that we try." Superman sat on the edge of her bed. "Any idea how this thing works?" Lana asked as she examined the artifact. Kal El helped her hold it between them.

"No. To get here I just closed my eyes, and thought about where and when I wanted to arrive. The technology is even too alien for me to decipher."

Lana inhaled a deep, wheezing breath. "Ready?" Clark urged. "Yes." Lana replied though the answer stuck in her throat. "Regardless of what happens, Clark…I love you and thank you for everything." He placed one of his hands on hers, and gripped the Eye of Rao tightly.

"Close your eyes." He directed and Lana complied. "I wish I were in Kansas." He quipped as Lana laughed. "You are so bad!" She coughed. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Let's go!" Superman made his wish and the room began to spin.

All went black. Lana and Clark felt the sensation of falling toward an endless dark pit. Soon, a multicolored vortex appeared, surrounding them. _Boom tube._

Clark held onto Lana tightly and felt her body change. She began to slim down. He risked a glance at her face, now that the vortex was lightening within the prism of color. The wrinkles peeled away from Lana's face, her legs grew more muscular, and her hair darkened and lengthened.

Superman estimated at that point, Lana looked to be about thirty. He felt his own body weight lighten, and guessed that they were about halfway through the time warp. Lana's breathing grew stronger, but she was disturbingly silent. _Had Clark waited too long?_

Suddenly Lana screamed and her eyes widened. She now appeared to be about twenty-three as he remembered her. "Lana! Relax! Stay with me!" He ordered. Kal El continued to observe the intense transformation. _Would it be too much for a normal human?_

Soon his speculation would be over. "Lana…brace…yourself." Superman's voice seemed to echo back to him, but at a much slower pace. A bright light nearly blinded them reflecting off of Lana and spinning back up the wider end of the time tunnel.

Lana appeared to be in several places at once encircling him. "What the…?" Clark never finished his question because something hard came up from the vortex base and hit them. All went black, again. First a crack of thunder then silence.

Clark woke up alone just outside of the Kawatchee Caves. He quickly rolled to his knees. _Lana hadn't made it_! "No!" He shouted in agony and pounded his fist into the cave's outer wall. The impact sent shockwaves throughout the caves, sending some debris tumbling to the ground.

_Where was she? Had it worked_? Superman felt his cleanly shaven chin, and he noted that he was much thinner than he had been before this incredulous journey. He clambered to his feet. Kal El was more or less where he was supposed to be.

He wore a common white tee shirt, blue jeans, and tan work boots. The Superman outfit was gone. He stood dazedly gazing across the fields. _It certainly looked like the farming community of Smallville_. Clark wobbily turned around to X-ray the caves. _Nothing_. _What had happened to Lana_?

He could only assume that she died. Kal El angrily grabbed the Eye of Rao. Sure enough, the second green crystal within the facet was dark and assumed to be powerless. The next crystal was amber colored and glowed brightly.

_That must mean something_. He debated. "Damn thing should've come with instructions!" He grumbled aloud. Clark jumped as his cell phone rang. He hadn't seen it since the technology had been outdated in the mid twenty-first century.

"Hello?" _It was Chloe!_ "Clark! Thank the powers! Get back to the _Daily Planet_ immediately, Lana's gone missing!" He hesitated, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Hello? Clark? Earth to Clark!" Chloe sounded pissed. _It had sort of worked_. _He was back in_ _Smallville, but when_? "On my way!" Clark said and switched into hyper speed. He surveyed the area one more time before zipping to Metropolis.

There was no sign of Lana.

Superman sped up the well-worn steps to the _Daily Planet._ Disguised as Clark Kent, he couldn't use his power of flight…yet. "Hey Chloe!" He smiled radiantly at her. It was good to see his very first fan.

Chloe looked similar to the way he remembered her, except that now she sported long straggly blonde hair halfway down her back. Clark had never seen her with this style before.

Chloe also was dressed in a smart black and gray business suit jacket with a matching skirt, and a royal blue camisole. She appeared to be around twenty-three. Chloe quickly greeted him with a long wet kiss, startling him.

"Uh…Chloe?" He got over the initial shock of her intimate display of affection. "What's up with the sexy hello?" Superman was puzzled.

"How else should a wife greet her husband?" Chloe grinned lustily. "Wife? Husband?" Kal El echoed in disbelief. "Actually, newlyweds is much more appropriate." Lois Lane said from behind them.

Clark was stunned. _Something had gone wrong after all_. _First Lana's disappearance, and now_ _what seemed to be an alternative past_? The Eye of Rao heated up within his pocket. The more Superman thought about it, the more he feared that he'd made a grave mistake.

"Can you believe that it's already been six months since my little cousin took the plunge?" Lois proudly wrapped her arm around Chloe. _Lois was now my cousin in law_? Kal scoffed.

"Yeah, it seems unbelievable." He replied, tongue in cheek. "Anyway, we need to find Lana, again." Chloe continued as she rubbed Clark's shoulder. "The poor dear never did quite get over you."

"Can you blame her?" Lois praddled. "She had a guy with super powers right in her grasp and she let him get away." Chloe frowned. "Ixnay on the super powers, cuz. Do you want someone to hear you?" _Lois knows, already_? Clark was starting to get a headache. _Time travel sucks_, he groused.

"Anyhow, can't you just zip around the area and find her?" Lois asked Superman. "Yeah, I guess so. Any idea where I should start?" Clark countered. "Well, I can ask Bruce to put out an APB on her." Lois volunteered.

"Bruce?" Superman inquired. "Duh, Clark." Lois glanced around conspiratorily. "You know the Batman has connections that you and Oliver never dreamed of." She whispered.

"Bruce Wayne?" Kal echoed. "Lois, you really don't have a handle on this whole secret identity thing, do you?" Chloe berated her. "I thought it was silly." Lois countered. "…Grown men running around in costumes with secret identities." Clark sighed and shook his head.

"I suppose you discussed that with Bruce?" Chloe asked rhetorically. Lois hedged. "Well…no." Chloe grimaced. "Let me enlighten you." She put her arm tenderly around Clark. "If it wasn't for all of this secrecy, Clark and I wouldn't have had the great life that we've had so far."

"Okay! Okay! Don't beat a dead horse." Lois waved her hands in resignation. "Ladies! Can we focus here?" Superman argued. "Where was the last place either of you saw Lana?" Lois whispered. "Clearly, someone has issues."

Clark pointed to his head. "Super hearing, Lois!" Chloe snickered. "I saw her yesterday." She began. "Lana was at the mall checking out the latest fashions."

"Did she seem distraught in any way?" Kal grilled his 'wife'. "Not any more than usual, honey." Chloe answered. "Like I said, she never really got over losing you. We're barely friends, now. I had to make a choice, a sacrifice." She added. "I chose your love over her friendship."

"Seems like someone's still obsessing." Lois sniped. "You know Lois, you're really not being helpful, here." Clark warned. "Okay, stepping off." Lois said as she grabbed her laptop and left. Chloe sighed. "She means well, sweetie." Clark nodded. "I know."

"Lana was always unstable." Chloe continued. "You know that as well as I do. She could've just picked up and left…like she's done before." Superman knew that all too well. _It was one of the_ _main reasons we ultimately broke up. That and the reproduction issue, Lana wanted a family_.

"Are you off of work yet?" Clark questioned Chloe. "In about ten minutes, as per usual, why?" Kal El fidgeted. "We need to talk…" _She'll never believe this one_…_then again, this is_ _Smallville._ Choe's eyes began to water. "Why?" Clark could see that she was afraid of being hurt.

"Because, I've got a new _Web of Weird_ story for you." He replied evasively.

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	5. Chapter 5: Splintered

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Splintered Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Splintered

Lana Lang had tossed and turned all night. The dreams, rather the nightmares had returned. A flock of ravens had flown off toward the sunset. Symbolically, Lana assumed that specific dream indicated an end to her problems. Clark had saved her again. Once more she'd cheated death.

First there was the tornado…she'd partially witnessed Clark reaching into the horrible twister and pulling her out. Then, there was the time poor cloned Emily shoved her into the river… and who knew how many other times Clark had saved her directly or indirectly.

Lana's sleep was interrupted by a distinctly feminine voice. "Honey, you're going to be late for school! Lana dear, time to get up!" She slowly flipped over to face the source of the intruding voice. "Just a minute, Mrs. Kent." Lana called through the opening door. "School?"

"What does our neighbor have to do with you getting up for school?" She added. Lana bolted upright. "Huh?" There was a woman sitting on the edge of her bed. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and appeared to be in her late thirties or early forties. _Wait a minute, where's Clark_? _I thought_ _he'd brought me back in time_, Lana wondered silently. "Who are you?"

"Don't be silly, honey, I'm your mother!" The woman said kindly as she rubbed Lana's leg. She gasped as her eyes widened. "But…but…" The woman's face turned serious. "No buts, young lady!" The alleged Mrs. Lang said sternly. "I bet you have tests today, don't you?"

Lana gulped. She couldn't bring herself to say 'but you and dad are dead.' She wasn't sure whether she was awake or dreaming. "Where's Clark?" Lana manages to squeak out. "Clark who, honey?" The alleged Laura Lang cocks her head strangely. "Clark Kent." Lana replies.

Tears well up in young Lana's eyes. _Something had gone wrong_ she rationalized. _If this is_ _another nightmare, it isn't amusing._ She's shocked and confused. A male voice calls into the room. "The Kents don't have any children. I told you about staying up late and watching those creepy movies, young lady!" Lana's jaw drops. "Daddy?" The man peers into her room. "Yeah, pumpkin?"

Lana starts to cry. "Nothing…" The alleged Mrs. Lang puts one hand on Lana's forehead, startling her. "She doesn't have a fever." Laura Lang says with genuine concern. "Aw honey, what's the matter?" Lewis Lang asks as he enters his daughter's room. "Maybe you should stay home from school today, sweetie." Laura offers. "I could have Pete pick up your assignments."

Lana stares at the woman claiming to be her mother. She could see facial resemblances between the two of them. "Pete…?" Lana repeated hoarsely. "Yes, Pete…" Laura smirks. "Aren't you two dating? Mrs. Ross spoke highly of you the other day." Lana wipes the tears from her cheeks. "She said that you were nice and well-mannered." Lewis glanced at his watch.

"Did you want me to call a doctor, honey?" Lana's alleged father asks. Mrs. Lang glances at Lana worriedly. The puzzled girl put up her hands. "No! I'll be fine!" Lana began. "Like you said, I shouldn't have stayed up so late watching TV last night. I'll get up and take a shower."

"Maybe I'll feel better." Lana lied. "Okay dear, as long as you aren't sick." Lewis decided. "You better get a move on, Pete's supposed to pick you up at 7:45. That gives you less than an hour to get ready." Mrs. Lang stood up. "Are you sure you're all right, Lana?"

"Yeah…um…mom…I'll be fine." She replied as Laura Lang kissed her on the forehead. "Okay, your father an I have to finish getting ready for work." The strange woman walked out of Lana's room and closed the door behind her. "Teenagers!" Lana heard Lewis Lang grumble.

"Teenagers?" Lana repeated as she glanced down at her slim and petite body. She took a deep breath and searched the area. It was her old house in Smallville, and her own room just as she'd left it about sixty-five years ago! Clark's scheme had sort of worked, but obviously not correctly.

Lana padded towards the bathroom, and gazed into her vanity mirror. "Good God! I'm sixteen years old again!" Resisting the urge to hurl or faint, Lana dug through her personal items, looking for her cell phone. She hadn't located it yet, and decided to turn on the shower instead.

Lana quickly spun in and out of the shower, literally. Barely any time had passed. She went back to organizing her drawer. She zipped into some clothes and combed out her long chestnut brown hair. She hadn't ever let her hair grow this long before. It was halfway down her back.

Pete was picking her up in … _forty minutes_? Lana glanced at her alarm clock radio. Only three minutes had passed! "Huh? That's impossible!" She muttered. Lana tried to recall the exact sequence of events from her past. _Pete hadn't had a car at this age_, she observed. _He and Chloe were taking_ _the school bus with Clark_. "Where's that damn cell phone?" She grumbled.

Suddenly a loud noise nearly deafened her. "Shheesh!" Lana covered her ears. _Since when_ _did we move next to Metropolis International Airport? Maybe they built it out here in the sticks_, Lana mused and wanted to walk over to her bedroom window. Instead she slammed into something hard.

Lana smashed into the wall, knocking plaster, old boards, and rusty nails in all directions. _I_ _swear I was just across the room near the bathroom_…She stepped back from the damage. "Man! I need to be more careful…"Lana spun around as she heard her father open the door.

_I don't see him…where_? A few moments later Lewis entered her bedroom…he seemed to be moving in slow motion. "Lana are you okay?" She heard the question, but it sounded like an old phonograph record played on the wrong speed. _Speed_? Lana wondered.

"Honey? Where are you?" Lewis didn't see her. Laura Lang bounded up the stairs and followed her husband into the room. "My god Lewis! Where is she? What was that noise?" Her mother's voice rose in panic. Lana said: "I'm right here!"

She took a moment to glance out the window. "Whoa!" Lana exclaimed as she watched a bird flying by, but its wings were flapping in slow motion. She saw the water droplets hanging in the air…everywhere! The sun's rays divided up the yard like a prison bar grid. "Don't freak…out!"

Suddenly things sped up, and Lana was next to her bed, behind her frantic parents. _How'd I_ _get here_? Things were slowly starting to add up.

"Mom? Dad?" Lana managed to choke out. Laura Lang nearly jumped. "Honey, are you okay? What happened to the wall?" Her dad was carrying his hair dryer, hence the jet-like noise.

"I'm sorry. It was an accident." Lana thought. At least that much was true. "I'll fix it after school." Maybe Pete had some answers for her. She still hadn't found her cell phone. "Mom, have you seen my phone?" Lana asked, though her voice seemed much higher than usual.

"We talked about that, Lana." Laura said sternly. "I know your friends have them, but your father and I decided that you should get a part time job first to pay for the monthly fees." Lana was too frightened to be angry. "I know you must think that we're mean…" Lewis began.

"No. That's fair enough." Lana just wanted to move on. "I should finish getting ready."

Lewis examined the damaged wall and shook his head in disbelief. "How could such a small girl reak so much havoc?" He asked rhetorically. Laura gestured for her husband to leave, before they got behind in their morning routine. Lana stood by sheepishly. "Please be careful, dear." Laura chided her as she left. Lana nodded. She still had a half an hour before Pete came.

Thankfully, her 'parents' were in a rush and didn't spend too much time gawking at the wall. They had also failed to notice that Lana was uninjured. _I wonder_…she concentrated on a potpourri candle that she'd placed on her desk next to the antique personal computer.

In seconds, twin beams of yellow light shot from her eyes, lighting the candle as she thought of Clark and their last romantic encounter. Unfortunately, Lana also blasted the wall behind the desk. She quickly put out the fire…with her bare hands! She zipped to the window and opened it to let the smoke out. It was official…Lana had somehow acquired Clark's otherworldly powers.

_What else was there_? _He could shoot red laserlike beams from his eyes, was virtually_ _indestructible, possessed hyper speed, and …super hearing_. Lana brushed some hair from across the side of her head, pinning it behind her ear. Suddenly, tons of sound assailed her.

"Aaaaah!" Lana screamed as the myriad of noises jammed together. She took a deep breath, and forced her mind to focus. She eliminated noise by noise, until she narrowed her hearing, limiting it to the family home. Her 'father' was in the kitchen cutting some toast on a plate.

There was some sizzling as her 'mother' fried a couple of eggs with some bacon. Lana heard the radio in her 'parents' bedroom, and finally the approach of a car on a gravel road. "Pete!" The car slowed to a stop. Lana grabbed whatever schoolbooks were on her desk and sprinted downstairs.

This time she was able to control her speed effectively. She quickly kissed her 'father' and 'mother', grabbed some pancakes and zipped out the front door. "Kids!" Lewis smiled as he sipped his coffee. Laura felt that something was wrong. She would sit down with Lana tonight.

Lana made it halfway into her front yard, and looked longingly in the direction of the Kent Farm. Pete got out of the car to open the door for her. She gasped. _That wasn't her Pete_! Lana dropped her books in disbelief. "Let's go sunshine!" Pete encouraged her playfully.

Lana had no idea who this guy was. He was tall, thin, and had cropped sandy brown hair. Heavy Metal rock music blared from the large speakers at the rear of the car. Her Pete was short, stocky, and African-American! This imposter appeared to be descended from Europeans.

"No!" Lana yelled. The stress build up was getting to her. "No what? Lana?" Pete gazed at her worriedly. Lana lost it! She hauled butt in the opposite direction, accidentally popping into hyper speed. Pete scratched his head. From where he stood, Lana had simply disappeared.

Lana cruised down the highway. She was halfway to Metropolis before she realized what she'd done. Her visual acuity had shifted. She saw bumblebees hovering near flowers, their little translucent wings flapping in slow motion, a flock of ravens appeared to stall in midair, and she saw a large brown red-tailed hawk about to pounce on a baby rabbit, its talons extended in a deadly grasp.

Lana picked up the bunny with one hand as she zipped past the annoyed raptor, robbed of its morning meal. The rabbit appeared to stare at her. She could hear his little heart beating slowly. She finally slowed to a stop in the middle of Route 6. The bunny's heart beat faster as his ears twitched.

She wasn't alone. "Hello Alice, welcome to Wonderland, and I see you brought your own rabbit." A male voice said from behind her. Lana whirled to face the man, simultaneously letting the rabbit down. It hopped away nervously. The guy somehow looked familiar. Lana shrieked.

"Dr. Fine!" Immediately, Lana assumed an attack position. "What've you done with Clark?" The being masquerading as Dr. Fine was actually the Brain Interactive Construct, or BRAINIAC, Clark's nemesis from Krypton.

"No, Miss Lang. The question is what've you done with Clark, or should I say, Kal El?" Lana breathed a quick sigh of relief. _At least he hadn't found him yet_, she reasoned. "What're you talking about?" She challenged."Oh pu-lease! Did you think that I wouldn't notice you two lovebirds messing with the timeline continuum?" Fine asked sarcastically. "Your beau is lost somewhere in the many worlds of time itself." Lana growled. "Why should I believe you?"

"I don't care whether you believe me or not." BRAINIAC retorted. "Kal El was never essential to my overall plan. He was merely an annoyance. Perhaps I should thank you for effectively eliminating his interference." BRAINIAC was rather smug for an artificial intelligence, Lana thought sourly. A surge of adrenaline suddenly spurred Lana into action.

She launched herself at BRAINIAC's throat, and squeezed it with both hands. The AI was caught off-guard and she knocked him through several trees and into a rocky hillside. The two of them twisted in midair, before the thunderous impact. "Humans are so predictable." He taunted.

"I have no air within my throat, Miss Lang. Choking me would be ineffective." He commented devoid of emotion. "True, but I feel a lot better about myself." Lana sniped as she punched a hole in the AI's chest. That action did have some effect. Black goo spread out from the chest cavity as Lana yanked whatever mechanisms were inside to the surface.

BRAINIAC's eyes rolled back in its head as the biomechanical organism convulsed. Lana was tempted to hurl, but ignored the sticky sick smelling liquid, which poured out of it. BRAINIAC 1.0 rebooted itself immediately. "Damage! Damage! Repair necessary!" Its deep voice grew tinny.

A defense mechanism kicked in, and BRAINIAC 1.0 tossed Lana skyward as it made its escape. The dazed teen flew forty to fifty stories high, before leveling off. Lana regained her composure, as her eyes flared red. She was effortlessly floating above the foggy glen!

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	6. Chapter 6: Metahuman

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Metahuman Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Metahuman **Laura Lake** : _Metahuman_

Superman tumbled headfirst onto a hard, slick surface. These landings are not getting any easier, he thought sourly. A loud screeching of tires snapped Clark into reality as a sports car skidded sideways to a stop, just inches from his face. Instinctively, he rolled away from the oncoming vehicle.

The car would've likely crumpled like an accordion had it hit him full on. The driver could've been injured or killed as well. Kal El righted himself to face the driver, balancing his weight on one knee. He toyed with the idea of using his hyper speed to flee into the cornfield, but the driver was out of the car far too quickly. "Oh my god! I am _so_ sorry! Are you okay?"

A young female voice sounded frantic as she hopped to the pavement and approached him. "I'm fine…and you?" Clark asked as he shaded his eyes from the blinding headlights. "Going a little fast, weren't you?" The girl glanced away. "Yeah. Sorry about that!" She bent down to help him up.

Superman didn't need any help of course, yet he had to keep up appearances. The girl effortlessly hauled Kal to his feet. "I didn't see you!" She glanced at him and then looked for another car. "What were you doing, sprawled out in the middle of the road like that anyway?"

It was pitch black out, and Clark couldn't really identify where he was. He'd have to play it by ear. "I'm not really sure." Superman lied. "Not really sure?" The young lady put her hands on her shapely hips. Kal also noted that she was probably in her mid to late teens.

"Okay _what-ever_!" She extended a hand. "I'm Laura, Laura Lake…and you are?" Clark gingerly accepted her hand, noting that she had an exceptionally strong grip. Kal took a moment to compose himself, and sized up his new acquaintance. "Clark Kent."

Laura had long thick black hair, big bright green eyes, high cheekbones, a small, thin face, and a slim physique. She was somewhat taller than Lana, and roughly equal in stature to Lois. "Nice to meet you Clark." Laura said pleasantly as she sniffed the air.

"Funny, I don't smell any alcohol on your breath." She taunted as she folded her arms across her ample chest. "I'm not drunk, stoned, or a simpering mental case." Clark defended with some irritation in his voice. "Okay! Okay! Chill! Stepping off!" Laura took one step back.

"So you were what? Just sleepwalking in the middle of nowhere just before midnight?" Laura pressed. "Something like that." Superman said. "You are a strange one, Clark Kent." Laura remarked suspiciously. _You have no idea_, Clark thought dryly. He quickly checked his pocket for the Eye of Rao. It was right where he'd put it…but now Kal was back in his old flannel shirt and bluejeans.

"What were you doing speeding through the cornfields in the middle of the night?" Superman countered. "Yeah, well I do that sometimes." Laura explained. "I like to race this ol' Mustang out in the boonies." She gestured towards her vintage 1969 cherry red sports car. "It was originally my dad's." Laura glanced away clearly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"He passed away when I was a kid." She added. "I lost my mom, too." Clark and Laura made eye contact. "I'm sorry to hear that." Clark said sincerely. _There's something about her eyes_, Kal mused. _Certainly they were pretty, but I see something more_. It appeared that two golden discs ringed her basically emerald green eyes. The hue itself seemed unusual.

"Uh…thanks." Laura stated as two meteors streaked across the black wide open Kansas sky behind her. At least Superman assumed he was in Kansas. He x-rayed the area, and again there was no sign of Lana. This shard, the amber colored one, seemed closer to reality.

Suddenly Laura caught herself. "Duh! Why am I telling you this?" She edged towards the car. "Can I give you a lift somewhere? Unless you want to keep wandering around aimlessly among the myriads of cornstalks?"

Kal considered the offer. On the one hand, he could simply have zipped back home to the Kent Farm, assuming that this was Smallville circa 2005. On the other, he seemed inexplicably drawn to Laura. Superman could almost sense some power emanating from the young orphan. _Could she be_ _another meteor freak_? In the end, curiosity got the best of him. "Sure, if it's no trouble…"

"You've already been that." Laura joked as her eyes sparkled…literally. She opened the Mustang's side door for him. "Ooh how chivalrous." Clark quipped. Laura laughed, a sound he found oddly fascinating. In Superman's mind, Laura almost seemed like a cross between Lana and Lois. He dare not get distracted. His goal was to stop more people from dying in the upcoming meteor shower.

Twenty-seven residents in and around Smallville were killed, and scores more were injured during this spring meteor shower. Clark recalled that it had been the day of his graduation. The disastrous rocks had rained down from the heavens, creating millions of dollars in damage.

_If he could at least save one more person_… Laura strapped herself in and spun the Mustang around, pulling a one-eighty to face the direction from which she'd come. "Uh…Clark, it would help if I knew where I was taking you."

Laura said as the rings around her eyes glowed. This time, Superman was certain that it wasn't his imagination. She may have some type of inner power source, he speculated. "That depends greatly on where I'm at." Clark said evasively.

Laura cast him a sidelong glance. "Okay, I'll bite. According to my compass, we're heading east on whatever the hell road this is, John's road." She added sarcastically. "Just ahead should be an intersection with Route 9." Clark mentally pictured the street grid in and around Smallville.

"If we head north, we'll run straight into Metropolis, if we cruise south, it's Grandville." Laura informed him. Superman nodded. The geography was correct, _but was the time_? "I'd like a lift to Smallville, if you don't mind. I can give you gas money…"

"Don't worry about it. I just filled up this beast an hour ago." Laura smiled brightly, distracting Clark from her bizarre colored eyes. "Uh…you never told me why you were out in the middle of nowhere without a ride." Laura prodded. _Just like Chloe_, Kal mused. "No I didn't."

"Fine!" Laura spat. "I bet you ticked off your girlfriend, and she tossed you out!" Superman grinned. "Nope. I don't have a girlfriend." He replied. I hope, at least in this time period. If it was correct, Lana was seeing Jason, and Lois was…well, being Lois.

Laura sped up, passing seventy mph on the deserted rural road. Clark was about to call her out, and tell her to slow down. He didn't want to waste time explaining things to the local police, or state troopers. His sensitive hearing picked up the roar of onrushing engines.

Kal used his x-ray vision to pinpoint the direction of the noise. He could see two cars, obviously racing down the empty highway. One car was on the wrong side of the street. A fully loaded semi-tractor trailer was speeding in from the opposite direction.

In seconds, there would be a horrendous accident, likely just as he and Laura were hitting the intersection. "Lookout!" Clark yelled. Laura stomped on the brakes, tearing through the floor of the car, ripping through the chassis, and dumping the transmission onto the pavement.

The Mustang's momentum would still carry it into the middle of the crash area. He had to reveal his powers to save Laura. Clark was about to grab her, when she jumped on him, and shoved him out the passenger side door. He never hit the ground.

In a fraction of a second he'd switched into hyper speed. The Mustang skidded off the road, narrowly missing the intersection. There was the blast of the truck horn, and the squealing of tires followed by a fiery explosion.

The semi-tractor trailer was about to roll into the ditch, but was somehow righted and placed clumsily back on the blacktopped roadway. Suddenly there was relative silence, save for the explosion of one of the drag racer's gas tanks.

Clark hauled the truck driver out of the cab and set him along the edge of the highway. The two teen racers lay on the side of the road groaning. Laura hovered over them. Their injuries were largely superficial. Cuts, bruises, and shock seemed to be about all.

The truck driver was dazed, and likely had no idea what just happened. That was Superman's assumption, of course. Sirens already blared in the distance. "Laura! Laura?" Clark yelled above the din. "Clark?" Laura hollered back. "Where are you? Are you okay?"

Clark took a moment to reflect on what happened. He'd switched into hyper speed as Laura shoved him out the car door…_with super human strength_. His visual acuity had shifted, making everything appear to be happening in slow motion. He'd torn through the two racing cars, expecting to save the drivers and any passengers within…_the cars were emptied just as they collided_.

He'd spun out the other side of the farthest vehicle and caught the semi-trailer truck broadside, yanking it back onto the pavement and subsequently rescuing the truck driver.

Laura must've pulled the teen racers to safety, which meant that there was no question that she was a meteor freak. He'd never heard of her before this chance encounter. Superman was thoroughly confused. Meanwhile Laura was debating some similar issues.

_So, young Mr. Kent has some hidden abilities as well_, she mused. Laura edged away from the injured teens. One did have a significant burn on his left ankle. _Good! Maybe he'll think twice before_ _he races his buddy again. The kids were extremely lucky…today_.

Laura slipped behind the twisted burning frames of the two decimated vehicles. The cars' parts were strewn over a quarter mile at least. She vaulted over the parked and idling semi-tractor, silently landing behind Clark. "I see you're no worse for the wear." She smirked.

Kal whirled to face the teen beauty. "How'd you do that?" They chorused. "You first." They pointed at each other simultaneously. "The short story is that I was born this way." Clark hedged. "We need to talk…but not here." The oncoming sirens grew louder.

"I'd rather not have to answer a lot of difficult questions." Superman added. "Back at you, Clark." Laura's eyes again shone a bright yellow. "I totalled my Mustang…I don't suppose your super abilities include massive antique sports car repair?" She teased.

"I'll see what I can do." Kal replied. "Are you originally from Smallville?" He initiated the interrogation. Laura shook her head, as her long black hair flipped to one side and appeared to lighten in color. "Nope. In fact, I've never been here before…central Kansas I mean."

Clark considered that. If Laura was telling the truth, then she probably wasn't a meteor freak. If not, then what was she? He recalled that Bart Allen had super abilities without ever being around Smallville before, as did Arthur Curry. "We'd better go. Where are you from exactly?"

"Falcon Claw, Nebraska." Laura answered shortly. "Really? I've never heard of it." Kal responded. "I'm not surprised. It's just another hick town like Smallville, surrounded by farms and overpriced new housing projects."

Superman had decided to trust the super-powered teen.

"How fast are you?" Kal smirked, knowing how that question sounded. Laura grinned. "I don't know. I've never clocked myself." Clark sighed. "Okay, let's take your car back to my farm. We can share the burden." Laura nodded as she tossed her transmission into the back seat.

Clark picked up the front of the Mustang easily, and Laura scooped up the back. "Ready speedy? On three?" Laura teased. "One, two, three…" The superheroes rocketed off at hyper speed, and Clark was in the lead. In seconds they were on the grounds of the Kent Farm.

The stress had proven to be too much on the Mustang, and it split in half. They dumped the pieces on the floor of the barn, much to the dismay of the cattle quietly residing within. The animals mooed and stomped their feet at the appearance of the surprise visitors. "Ooh, you have real cows." Laura remarked. Clark nodded. "Yup. At least ten of them that I recall."

The barn was in unusual disarray, Kal noted. In this time period both of his Earth parents were alive and well. Jonathan Kent never left his tools and personal items scattered aimlessly about. Clark was certain that he would've put away his father's items. After all, it would only have taken a second. He eyed his loft hideaway suspiciously. It didn't resemble anything that he'd remembered.

Superman heard a shotgun click. "Freeze, or I'll pump you full of lead!" A young female voice warned from behind them. Clark whirled and gasped. Laura was already positioned to attack. The girl brandishing the shotgun was…Lana! "Whoa Lana! Don't you recognize me?"

The woman resembling Lana was raggedy looking, with short stringy black hair that didn't even reach her shoulders. Her eyes were dark brown and narrowed to slits as she spoke. "No! Should I?" Laura edged a bit closer. "A trespasser is a trespasser! You got one chance…"

Laura vaulted at Lana. "No! Don't hurt her!" Clark warned frantically. She was a hair faster in reaction time than Superman. Lana fired off a blast from the filthy antiquated double barrel shotgun. It hit Laura dead center in the chest. The impact sent Lana reeling backwards, landing on her backside. Clark grabbed the shotgun from her. Laura had been knocked back a bit as well.

The shotgun casings had crumpled and fallen to the floor, smoldering. Laura's white t-shirt had two dark black spots on it where the shells hit her chest and bounced off. Lana's eyes widened. "You! You're one of them freaks that have been hanging around here!" She accused.

Clark was about to lose it. "Lana! What's wrong with you?" Laura watched the exchange with growing interest. "There ain't nothin' wrong with me, freak boy." Lana snapped as Superman tossed the shotgun far out of her reach. "It's you freaks that destroy everything!"

_Meteor freaks_? Clark wondered silently. _Lana would never react this way towards them_. _This whole scene wasn't right_. "What's wrong with freaks, Lana?" Laura taunted. "Only good freak is a dead one." Lana answered roughly. "I kilt three last week myself!" She boasted, shocking Clark.

He stared in disbelief at his one time girlfriend. _It was his Lana, meaning it looked like her_, though Kal noticed that Lana's pristeen face had a number of crow's feet alongside each eye, and her usually light colored skin seemed darker, like she'd been out in the sun too long.

"You killed people?" Clark stifled his anger. "Freaks ain't people. You two are the first I run across that were bulletproof, though. They all seem to bleed and die the same way, despite their witchy powers." Lana said matter of factly, as if she were discussing the weather.

Superman was horrified. Even Laura was becoming angry with Lana's responses. "Lana, what happened?" Clark forced himself to calm down. "Nothin' happened freak!" She added curtly. "All of you creatures were made up at Luthor's labs in town. Everyone knows that. If I ever get a hold of that freak-loving bastard, I'll blow his fool head off!

He ain't caused nothin' but trouble for us folk." Clark was speechless. He'd never even heard Lana curse before. _This timeline had been terribly altered_, he mused. Lana seemed uneducated and far too aggressive. "Ex-girlfriend?" Laura fished as Clark nodded absently.

"She's absolutely charming." Laura's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Momma! Poppa!" Lana suddenly yelled in the general direction of the ranch house. A door slammed, and Kal heard footsteps on the old wooden front porch. "Where are Mr. and Mrs. Kent?" Superman asked impatiently.

"What's it to you, freak boy?" Lana sniped. "How'd you know my name…and my parents' names?" Clark was stunned. "Whoa! I didn't see that one coming!" Laura remarked. "What's the matter, honey?" A man's voice bellowed as he drew closer. "Time to go?" Laura asked warily.

"It's them freaks again!" Lana hollered back. Jonathan Kent jogged into the barn, as Clark gasped. His Earth father was about in his mid-forties, wearing a yellow dagotee shirt, and torn overalls, and appeared bearing his favorite shotgun that he called 'ol' Betsy'.

"You come away from there, sweetie!" Jonathan ordered as he aimed the shotgun at Clark. "Poppa, I tried shootin' em and the bullets just bounced off." Lana explained as she scurried to her feet and hid behind Mr. Kent. "Oh no! Super freaks!" Jonathan exclaimed worriedly.

"Your mother is calling Sheriff Fordman as we speak. He'll know what to do with 'em." Jonathan backed away, Lana at his heel. "You freaks better beat it if you know what's good for you! I'm tired of you creatures traipsing across my property, and scaring my daughter and the animals."

"Time to go?" Laura urged impatiently. Clark was still in shock. "Leave the car!" Superman turned slowly away from Lana and his Earth father. "Where to?" She asked without taking her eyes off Mr. Kent. "Metropolis." Kal said solemnly. "I have or had friends there."

"Oh good!" Laura added sarcastically. "I can't wait to meet them!"

Want to learn more about Laura? See her **_origin_** story **listed** under Original Fandom. Thanks.

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	7. Chapter 7: Amber

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Amber Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Amber

Smallville High School, October 2001:

Superman's next plan was to see if Lana made it back into this Time Shard. The glowing Amber facet was driving this slice of Clark's early teenage life. She'd gone missing from the green shard. Time travel was becoming more and more complicated as he crisscrossed the time nexus.

Today was the day that he'd saved Lex from the river and found out about his alien past from his Earth father, Jonathan Kent. It was also the day Whitney Fordman and the other jocks had hung him in the field as a scarecrow. He didn't need to repeat that scene.

However he still had to stop Jeremy Creek from destroying the school dance. Clark bounded up the cement stairs into Smallville High. Lana should be in his Biology class right now if his watch had kept the correct time. He slid across the freshly waxed floors, nearly taking out the Crow's trophy case. Kal glanced into the Biology Lab through the small glass window. No sign of Lana.

The class bell rang and Whitney and his crew caught him flat-footed at the end of the corridor. "Hey Kent! What's up?" The elder jock asked, devoid of any obvious malice. "Whitney? How's it going?" The blonde haired quarterback seemed distracted. "Fine."

He gazed past Clark, _probably looking for Lana_, the teen superhero mused. "So, who're you takin' to the Homecoming Dance tonight?" Whitney actually sounded like he cared. "I thought I'd blow it off." Superman deadpanned. "It seems kind of lame."

Whitney shook his head. "You'll never get anywhere that way, Kent. Where's your school spirit?" He waved without making eye contact with Clark. Kal turned around expecting to see Lana's shining smiling face. Instead, a girl he vaguely recalled approached them.

She happily returned Whitney's wave. "Hey Carolyn! Come here, will ya?" Carolyn Cosgrove bounded up to them in full Smallville High regalia. The cheerleader's yellow and red Smallville Crows team colors shone brightly in the late morning sun, which poked through a nearby window. She gave Whitney a quick peck on the cheek.

"What about Lana?" Clark asked, before he'd thought it out. "Lana? You mean Lana Lang?" Whitney acted like he was hearing her name for the first time. "She's okay for you, I mean if you like that type." The upperclassmen criticized. "She seems a bit geeky or bookish."

Clark stifled a gasp. Carolyn hung on Whitney's arm. _Lana was many things, but 'geeky' and_ _'bookish' were not on my list of adjectives,_ Superman thought. "Go for it, Kent. I doubt if anyone's asked her yet." Whitney added. Carolyn grinned brightly.

"You better hurry and ask, Clark, before all the good girls are gone." Carolyn urged. "Hey Sullivan!" Randy Smith, the Crows' running back shouted over the din of students slamming lockers. About halfway down the corridor, Chloe Sullivan walked alone, her nose in a copy of '_The Torch'_.

She ignored Randy for the moment. "Yo Sullivan!" Wendy Scott, a nearby cheerleader yelled, as Clark winced. Wendy's high-pitched voice hurt his super sensitive ears. Chloe stopped and sighed. _The wicked witch of the west commands my attention_, she thought sourly.

"Yes Wendy, you bellowed?" Chloe turned around to face them as she spoke. "Yeah, newshound, here's a hot story for you…Kent is dateless again." Randy said eliciting a chuckle from everyone except Whitney, ironically. "And this is my problem, how?" Chloe snapped back.

Chloe slowly made her way back toward the 'cool' people. The jocks and cheerleaders all hung out together, of course. Clark reddened, but was curious why Chloe didn't seem to acknowledge him at all. "What am I, a varsity dating service?" Chloe asked sarcastically.

"Oh, nice attitude, Sullivan." Whitney commented. "I don't seem to recall you covering our football practices in recent memory." He chastised her. "I'm a serious journalist, Fordman." Chloe came back, much to Superman's amusement. "Isn't it your job to cover the team?" Wendy asked icily. Chloe grumbled. "I suppose." _Wendy did make a point_, she mused.

"Anyway, why doesn't Kent just ask someone out?" Chloe questioned, barely making eye contact with Clark. "You should set him up with Lang." Whitney suggested, as Kal coughed.

"Lana Lang?" Chloe scoffed. "No offense Kent, but you can probably do better than her." Clark was beginning to find Chloe's attitude annoying. This was clearly not his Chloe, best friend for years. "Why don't I just talk to Lana, myself?" Superman challenged. "Exactly my point." Whitney added. "If you really want me to introduce you two…" Chloe placated the group.

"Yes I would." Clark stated, with an edge to his tone. _Maybe I can get some answers from_ _Chloe, though it seems doubtful_, Kal wondered. "There you go, Kent." Whitney praised, slapping Clark on the back. The slap was intended to knock him forward, but Whitney reddened.

"Damn, Kent!" He shook his arm, as the pain shot up to his brain. "What do they feed you on that farm?" Carolyn and Wendy giggled, but Randy seemed to be considering something. "Come on Kent, let's locate your princess." Chloe muttered. Clark reluctantly followed her.

"Any idea where she is?" Clark asked coldly. "In the library, where she usually is." Chloe replied with disinterest. "The library?" Clark parroted. "Miss Sullivan!" A loud male voice boomed from behind them. She hesitantly turned around. "Principal Kwan?"

"Miss Sullivan, Mr. Kent…" Kwan stared down his nose at Chloe. "The library is a room full of books…the very essence of education." Kwan began sarcastically. "You remember the term 'book' don't you? Not I Net, or E Book…but an actual square item made from paper."

"Miss Lang is one of…wait for it…exactly three students who actually use the library." Kwan continued arrogantly. "Miss Sullivan, it would do your woeful excuse for a school newspaper some good if you went to the library, really enter it, and do some research."

"I will." Chloe placated, as Clark grew impatient. "Good." Kwan added. "Kent, if you insist on bothering Miss Lang, who is a straight 'A' student by the way, please offer to help her enter the school's mainstream. Miss Lang has no extracurricular activities scheduled all semester."

"Okay." Clark was ready to say anything to rid himself of the principal. "And ask your hooligan sports fanatics to refrain from bellowing, like the proverbial North American Moose in my school corridors." Kwan concluded as he left.

Chloe sighed and led Superman to the library. She shoved open the old wooden doors, and sure enough, Lana Lang sat alone at a table with a stack of books and a laptop computer. Kal's heart pounded annoyingly, as he gave Lana the once over.

She was similar to his Lana from the original time shard, except that she seemed a bit stockier, which Clark felt looked good on her. Lana had her hair piled high atop her head in a bun, wore a plain white blouse, gray knee length skirt, and black loafers.

"Lana Lang…" Chloe said loudly, purposely startling her. "I present Clark Kent." Chloe gave her a mock bow. "Princess Lang, please don't behead Clark until you've heard him out." She added sarcastically. Kal was red with embarrassment and anger at Chloe's rudeness.

Lana glanced up from her book, closing the laptop at the same time. "What?" She asked, looking like a deer in the headlights. Clark noted that Lana wore a pair of black rimmed 'cat glasses' popular in the nineteen eighties, but decades out of fashion by now. He thought she looked cute.

"Miss Lang hasn't quite gotten over her _Lisa Loeb_ fetish from the nineties." Chloe criticized. Lana gazed away, attempting to ignore Chloe's barb. Clark was livid. "Chloe! Don't be rude! Don't you have a paper to print?" He snapped, bringing a brief smile to Lana's lips.

Chloe seethed. "Hey, I'm doing you a favor, Kent! Don't ask me for another!" Superman forced himself to calm down. "Fine! Thank you. Good bye!" He bit out. Chloe turned on her heel and left, slamming the library door behind her. Lana stifled a giggle.

Kal didn't know what to expect, so he decided to make small talk. He checked out the titles of the books Lana was reading: 'Unexplained Phenomena', 'Genetic Mutations', 'The Next Evolution.' Clark was shocked. _Lana was onto something!_

"Lana? How are you?" Clark began, swallowing hard. "Fine." She stared at him blankly. "You know it's not wise to get on Chloe Sullivan's bad side…she could trash you in _The Torch_." Lana finally said. "Chloe is the least of my problems. Do you remember me at all?"

"Uh…I know my parents had a place next door to you…The Kent Farm, correct?" Lana asked nervously. "Yes, that's true." Kal's heart was broken once again…this wasn't his Lana.

"We used to play together when we were kids." Superman vainly hoped to jog Lana's memory. "Okay. I don't really remember much since the accident." Lana sheepishly stated. "The accident?" Clark repeated. "Yes. My parents died during a freak electrical storm." She added.

"I'm sorry." Superman said sincerely. _That's not what happened_ he mused. _This time line_ _was fractured_. "Thanks." Lana said sweetly. "Were you going to ask me something?" She hinted. "Oh yeah." Clark steeled himself. _This is still difficult, even after all these years_.

"Did you have a date for the Homecoming Dance, tonight?" He choked out. "I'm sorry about the short notice. I've been traveling." _Well, it wasn't really a lie. _Lana was speechless, at first. "I'd noticed that you haven't been in class." She opened cautiously.

"I'm not really good at this sort of thing." Clark admitted. _It feels good to tell Lana the truth_, _even if she wasn't exactly the same person_. "Neither am I." Lana still hadn't committed. "Um…you haven't asked anyone else?" Superman shook his head. "Nope, you're the first." _In more ways than_ _one_, he thought. Lana's eyes lit up. In fact, they seemed to momentarily glow yellow.

"Uh…sure. Thanks for asking." Lana took a deep breath. "Great!" Kal forced himself to contain his excitement. "I don't have a dress ready." She glanced away, embarrassed. "Whatever you'd like to wear is fine with me." Clark felt a little more relaxed.

Lana smiled. "In that case, I'd better get a move on!" She slammed her laptop into its case, and hurriedly placed the books she'd taken out back on the shelf. Clark could swear that she was moving faster than normal… Lana zipped back, giggling. Kal smirked.

"Oh and thanks." She quickly kissed him on the cheek and bolted out the library door. _Okay,_ _this is weird, yet so far, manageable_, he thought. _Still, this time shard was messed up as well_. He warily glanced around, using his x-ray vision to make sure that no one was watching.

Superman pulled the Eye of Rao out of his jeans pocket and examined it under a tabletop light. "I wonder…" He muttered. Two shards were darkened, the green one and the amber one. Yet there was a glint of light in each. The green facet had a sliver missing from it.

The green shard had been the first he'd used. Clark studied the others. None of them had pieces missing from their crystals! _Could it be that he'd created these alternate realities by accident_?

_This is giving me a headache_. He still had to stop Jeremy from torching the school gym. Kal put the Eye of Rao away and headed back out into the now silent corridors. The dance would be in four hours…plenty of time to check in with his parents and stop Jeremy.

Clark sped off toward the farm, careful not to be seen using his hyper speed.

He slid into the front porch, briefly damaging the railing and first three stairs. _What is wrong_ _with my abilities? I still have them, yet I'm uncoordinated_, he analyzed. _Maybe all of this time travel_ _was wreaking havoc on my powers? That's all that I need_.

Superman casually walked up the rest of the stairs and into the front door. Martha and Jonathan Kent gaped as Clark wandered over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice. He drank the entire portion, immediately feeling better.

Kal drew in a deep breath, knowing that he'd have to face his long dead foster parents. "Mom, Dad…how's it going?" He began nervously. "Um…son?" Jonathan was obviously shocked to see him. "We thought you were moving up north." Clark silently gawked. "Up north?"

"Yeah sweetie." Martha said as she stood and approached him. "You wanted to visit the ice fortress, and speak with Jor El." Superman breathed a sigh of relief. _I wasn't due to discover the ice_ _fortress for a few years, unless_… "What's wong son?" Jonathan asked.

He always knew when something was not right. "Nothing, I guess…" Kal lied not sure of how much to reveal. "I asked Lana Lang to the Homecoming Dance." Clark decided to play along. "Oh? Good for you honey." Martha said and hugged him. "She's a nice girl."

Yeah, as far as I could tell, Superman mused. "So did you need to borrow the truck?" Jonathan asked. "Yeah, if it's not too much trouble, that would be best." Kal replied. "No trouble at all son." Jonathan slapped him on the back. "Be careful, and don't stay out too late."

"Thanks dad," Clark's stomach tied itself in knots. "The dance will be over around 11 pm." Martha smirked. "Of course you'll want to show Lana make-out point." Kal blushed. "Mom!"

Clark worked his way up into his bedroom. He'd only been digging through his old things for a moment when his cell phone rang. "Hello?" It was Lana, and she seemed upset. "Clark, I can't find a dress for Homecoming! Maybe I shouldn't go?" Clark sighed.

_Those were the good old days_, he reminisced. _The days when school proms and the like, had_ _seemed important_. "Don't worry Lana, give me your size dimensions and I'll see what my mom could whip up." He sort of lied to her, and that was one habit he insisted on breaking this time around.

"Really?" Lana's tears immediately stopped flowing. "Yes, really." He confirmed tenderly. She did as she was asked, and Clark bolted for Metropolis, returning swiftly with Lana's prom dress. _Speed definitely had its advantages_, Superman mused. He dropped it off and met Lana's Aunt Nell.

They were all set, _but where was Jeremy_? Kal wondered silently, as he zipped around Smallville searching for the disturbed young meteor freak. He never did catch up with him. Clark knew approximately where Jeremy might be at 7 pm. He'd make his move then.

Maintaining appearances, Superman got dressed in his black and white suit and drove out to pick up Lana to escort her to the prom. Lana was a dazzling beauty, even at this young age. Her pink and purple ruffled dress fit perfectly, leaving one slim shoulder bare.

"Hi Lana, ready to go?" Clark pleasantly and carefully pinned the corsage to the left shoulder of her dress, just above her chest. "Sure." Lana smiled brightly and she still wore her 'cat glasses'. She took his arm, and Clark thought that he felt a surge of electricity from her contact.

_Hmmm, must be some local static in the air_, Kal surmised as he opened the passenger side door for her. Lana waved to her Aunt Nell, after posing for the obligatory pictures. She clambered into the red pick up, mindful not to trash her dress. "You look beautiful," Clark praised.

Lana reddened and glanced away. _Shy? Lana? Since when?_ Superman observed. _This alternative reality stuff just gets more and more bizarre_. Clark opened with some casual conversation about Lana's classes, and Chloe's rudeness. Soon they arrived at the dance, parking the truck nearby.

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	8. Chapter 8: Scorched

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Scorched Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Scorched

**_Scorched:_**

Clark held the door open for Lana and they started through the parking lot towards the school. Two pick up trucks were parked side by side. The kids from the football team and the cheerleaders were still inside them likely drinking underage.

"Hey check this out!" Terry Connor, the Crow's running back, pointed at Clark and Lana."It's a geek invasion!" Randy Smith bellowed from the other truck. Wendy Scott poked her fluffy haired head out of the window. "Gee Lang, you look halfway decent." She said, giving Lana a backhanded compliment.

"Kent, you must be despo to take the bookworm out to the dance!" Carrie Furth taunted. Lana could feel her cheeks redden and her big eyes suddenly flared yellow. Clark had turned the other way and missed the anomaly.

"Do they have a prize at the dance…say for the Loser Homecoming King and Queen?" Wendy added. "I'd bet you two would be a shoe-in!" Terry finished.

Clark felt a power surge from somewhere nearby as the hairs stood up on the back of his neck. _Was Jeremy around_? He hurriedly used his x-ray vision to search the area. He spotted no one except the teens in the trucks.

Lana forced herself to calm down. _No! I will not let them ruin __Clark_ and I's night! She thought with conviction as her blazing eyes faded, returning to normal.

"Just ignore them, Lana." Clark comforted, holding her by her slim waist. "They're just stupid teenagers!" _Oops! I forgot, so am I_, Clark berated himself. Lana missed his verbal _faux pas_, but she picked up on Clark's constant glancing around the area.

"I knew it!" Lana snapped."You're ashamed of me!" Clark nearly jumped. "What? I am not!" He defended. "Lana, I…" He caught himself at the last moment before he'd said 'I love you'.

"I like you very much." Clark finished in the nick of time as they entered the auditorium. Immediately, Lana's face brightened and she planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous." She explained. "I mean, everyone's looking at us!"

The crowd began to murmur and buzz as they passed the dance moderators. Jonathan and Martha Kent were two of the chaperones. They smiled proudly as Clark escorted Lana through the crowd.

The only table left open to them was the one nearest to the stage. A live rock band, _Remy Zero_, was just beginning to warm up. _That's not right_, Clark noted, _Remy Zero didn't play at Smallville_ _High until next year. _

_These timelines are confusing. __Not every one is the same_.

He silently debated his overall strategy as he held the chair for Lana. She sat down, just as Chloe showed up with her date, a guy that Clark didn't know.

"Whoa! Lang! Nice!" Chloe started her instigation. 'Who'd have thought that you and Kent would make a perfect couple?" She threw in the dig. "Yeah, a perfect pair of losers!" Randy said, as he led the other jocks and cheerleaders to the first table.

"Is that really necessary?" Whitney Fordman, of all people, derided his linebacker. Carolyn winced. "Lana, you look pretty in that dress." She unexpectedly praised."Thank you." Lana blushed then gazed at Clark.

"Maybe it's the glasses?" She tearfully removed them. "It is not the glasses, Lana." Clark reassured her. "They're simply rude, obnoxious, and petty jocks and cheerleaders, except for Whitney and Carolyn." He added loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Big words Kent, can you back them up?" A defensive back challenged. Clark could smell the liquor on his breath. He ignored him. "Cool it!" Whitney warned.

Two of the school administrators slowly approached them. "Do you want to get us tossed out?" Carolyn argued. Clark was beginning to lose his patience, and there was still no sign of Jeremy Creek. He'd have to make an excuse to Lana soon and look for the mentally deranged meteor freak.

The situation inside the auditorium was still too volatile.The band continued to warm up. Lana and Clark chatted about school projects and term papers. Clark could barely recall any of them. After all, it had been over one hundred and fifty years since he'd been in Smallville High.

Lana didn't seem to mind as she drew closer and closer to him. Eventually she rested her head on Clark's shoulder and placed her hands in his lap. Clark was lost in the moment, yet something was still wrong.

He imagined that he saw a pulse of energy radiate outward from Lana's head. Clark blinked his eyes, assuming that the flickering lights were playing tricks on them. _Wait a_ _minute…flickering lights_? He was quietly terrified. _Jeremy_!

Clark was about to get up when Lana made an excuse for him. "Clark, I'm going to go freshen up. I'll be right back." Lana started for the ladies' washroom and the flickering lights steadied once again. Clark was thoroughly puzzled.

He casually strolled away from the table, though many eyes were still upon him. "Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" He waved to his parents who were located near the punch bowl and snack table. "Hey son!" Jonathan said.

Clark felt his heart ache knowing that in a few short years, his beloved Earth father would be dead, _or would he_? Clark began a new plan before shifting into hyper speed behind the curtains at the back of the stage.

He zoomed around the school, the parking lot, and the nearby cornfield where the scarecrow's cross had been set. He found no sign of Jeremy. _Perhaps he hadn't made it into this timeline_?

Clark guessed as he returned to his seat. Just then, Lana entered the room. Remy Zero had begun their set. Lana smiled brightly at Clark as the band broke into a slower tempo song.

_This is heaven_, Lana silently thought as she passed the jocks and cheerleaders, purposely ignoring them.

Clark still had to keep up appearances, and to be honest, he longed to dance with Lana again. "Can I have this dance?" He asked, charming the young beauty. Lana's eyes sparkled. "Of course Clark, this dance and every dance forever and ever."

Lana replaced her glasses atop her nose and let Clark guide her to the center of the gymnasium. Jonathan and Martha glanced at them with approval. _Was this the quiet before the storm?_

Clark and Lana danced to all the slow songs throughout the night. Time and time again, Clark had used his x-ray vision to search for Jeremy to no avail. The dance finally began to wind down.

Remy Zero had announced that this slow song was to be their last._This needs to be louder_, Lana mused as she once again melted into Clark's arms.

Behind his back, she waved a hand at the band's stage set. Immediately the power level of the amps increased, startling the band's technicians. The crowd winced as the volume cranked up.

It rattled the building. Clark noted the sound level increase with a grimace.The sonic assault assailed his sensitive hearing. The administrators gathered around the technicians to complain about the volume. They shrugged and pointed to their ears, unable to hear the teacher's protests.

Mercifully, the song ended and Remy Zero said their goodnights. Clark's ears were ringing, and he felt unusually warm with Lana in his arms. _I shouldn't feel_ _warm, in fact, I shouldn't notice any temperature change at all_, he thought, guiding Lana back to their table.

"Oh Clark! Thank you!" Lana grabbed him and kissed him passionately."Hey you two! Get a room!" Whitney joked, rather pleased with himself. Carolyn chuckled.

"This has been the most memorable night of my life." Lana gushed as she whispered in his ear."I wish that it would never end." Clark agreed, mostly to keep her attention, yet something was still bothering him about the entire evening.

They said their goodnights to Jonathan and Martha."Now don't stay out too late, you two." Martha warned pleasantly. Lana gathered her things as Clark waited nearby. He watched the jocks and cheerleaders file out of the auditorium without incident.

The young couple then made their way out into the parking lot. _The dance was over, and no sign of Jeremy_, Clark observed, _willing to let it go as a stroke of_ _good luck._ "Lana, would you like to go out to Reeves Point?" Clark asked before he'd thought it out.

"Sure, if you want to." She answered without hesitation. They were halfway to Clark's truck when a few of the jocks cut them off. The cheerleaders were nowhere around at the moment.

Chloe and her date were just getting to the area from the school. She automatically smelled trouble, and made a beeline for the confrontation.

"You dweebs have a good time tonight?" Randy asked sarcastically. "Yes! It was lovely!" Lana responded angrily, taking an aggressive stance towards the jocks.

"Lana, don't give them the satisfaction…" Clark warned. His plea fell on deaf ears as the cheerleaders stormed out from behind the trucks and pelted Lana and Clark with eggs.

She was in tears as her eyes flared an unmistakably golden red color. Lana was furious. "Haw! Haw! Haw!" The jocks laughed. It was the last thing that they ever did.

Clark started to put the pieces together, but it was too late. Lana's arms rose above her head. She appeared to pull lightning bolts from the sky, as the charges flew from her eyes and fingertips.

Lana blasted the jocks, cheerleaders, and their vehicles with intense bolts of raw energy. In seconds it was over. The trucks began exploding. The smaller cars had flipped over and were now engulfed in flames.

"Lana! What have you done?" Clark was horrified. The love of Clark's life had simply killed at least a dozen teenagers, right before his eyes.

Chloe lay at their feet, severely burned and disfigured, but alive. Her date was not as fortunate. He'd died with the others…electrocuted. "I'm sorry!" Lana wailed. "I lost my temper!"

Clark didn't know what to say or do. Lana fell to her knees, sobbing. The rest of the students and faculty looked on in complete shock. Clark hadn't realized the problem in time to short circuit Lana's electrical ability, as he'd done long ago with Jeremy.

Clark was devastated. Lana would likely spend the rest of her life in prison, if she didn't get the death penalty outright. Martha was crying as she approached Lana and the fallen Chloe.

Sirens pierced the peaceful night air. Someone had dialed 911. "I'm sorry, son." Jonathan said as he briefly held Clark's shoulder. The words sounded hollow to Clark as he edged away.

"So am I dad, so am I." He muttered as he reached into the family truck. Clark had hidden the Eye of Rao in the beat up glove box. He sadly pressed the amethyst colored gem within the silvery facet and was gone.

_Would this_ _horrid journey never end_? Superman wondered silently as the eons of time spun around him.

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	9. Chapter 9: Amethyst

Beyond Smallville: Time Shards : Amethyst Beyond Smallville: Time Shards Amethyst Time Shard: _Amethyst_

Clark Kent stood at the barn window of his loft, gazing out at the setting sun. _For some reason,_ _today just hadn't felt right_, he mused. Lana Lang had sent him a letter with no return address. It had told him not to worry about her, that she'd gone back to France to complete her art school training.

This time she intended to pay for it by herself. After she'd turned eighteen, Lana had inherited the Lang's estate, which had been held by her Aunt Nell in a trust fund.

That, coupled with her biological father, Henry Small's contribution, would pay for most of her lodging and classes. Lana had also taken a job as a tailor's apprentice in a Paris boutique. _She sounded happy_, Superman thought sourly.

Clark had momentarily considered heading over to France, and personally searching every boutique until he'd found her. Yet, Lana had specifically told him not to come looking for her. The young super hero still hadn't mastered the power of flight, much to Kara Kent's amusement.

The future Superman had made a few lame attempts to defy gravity with limited success. Clark felt that his heart just wasn't in it. He sighed in resignation and disgust. After all that he'd been through, Kal El began to give up.

Again, he wished that he'd never come to Earth, and had died with his parents long ago on Krypton. Kara shared his depression, but insisted on immersing herself in the local culture.

_I don't know if I could love anybody ever again_, Clark considered with disdain.

He was so deep in thought that he'd failed to hear Lois Lane clomping up the wooden stairs to his loft. Superman had Lois move in with him for her own safety.

Plus, he admitted to himself that he was lonely. _Even Lois was good company during these dark times_, Kal rationalized. Lois was still vulnerable on the long drives to Metropolis from Smallville and back again. The roads were usually isolated and desolate.

She could easily be robbed, abducted, or worse. Lois enjoyed her new job at the _Daily Planet_. She was scheduled from 9am to 5pm Monday thru Friday. In reality her schedule would include working nights and weekends as well.

"Hey, Smallville!" Lois greeted him cheerfully and extra loudly purposely to startle him. Most of the time it didn't work. Today however, Superman's mind was elsewhere, perhaps in several locations. Lois was rewarded with a slight jump from the Man of Steel. He turned to face her.

Lois appeared to be in her early twenties. Usually her raven black hair was tied in a neat ponytail. Tonight, her hair was down and far past her common shoulder length, falling to a quarter of the way down her slim back.

"Hey Lois!" Clark said with a bit of shock to his voice. _I don't remember Lois being this pretty_, he praised. Of course it had been over one hundred and seventy five years since he'd first met her. "You better cut back on those double lattes Clark, you're jumpy as a cat." She teased.

Lois made herself comfortable on his couch, immediately slipping off her shoes, and lying upon it sideways to face him. "Any thrilling news, Smallville?" She taunted. "Like an emergency summit of the heads of the local cattle industry?"

She continued to ride him. "How about something like a sudden drop in egg prices that had thrown the non-union chickens into a frenzy? Were the hogs going on strike?" Clark couldn't resist a minor chuckle. "No Lois, just the same old same old. How was your day?"

"Well, the _Daily Planet's _Board of Directors is holding a big meeting tonight." Lois began. "After which, there's to be a big shmoozing cocktail party with some Advertising honchos. There'll be a good number of bootlickers around. Not my idea of a rockin' good Friday night."

"I did consider going and bringing you along as my arm candy." Lois flirted. "Have you given any thought to my proposal?" She inquired. "I didn't know you proposed to me, Lois." Clark smirked. "Shouldn't that be the other way around?" Lois smiled brightly, putting her tongue in her cheek.

_Actually, that wouldn't be such a bad idea._ Lois thought lustily. She'd never say that out loud of course, _or would she_? "Funny, Smallville, not hilarious, but funny. I meant about joining the _Daily Planet_ staff." She stated outright. Lois had been badgering Clark for a long time to no avail.

"Lois, we've been all through that." Clark added seriously. "I know, I know, I will not work for Luthor." She parroted, rolling her eyes. "Lex is evil, you know that." Superman commented.

"Lex? You mean Julian, don't you?" Lois was puzzled. "Huh?" Kal asked, clearly caught off guard. "Honestly Clark, sometimes I don't know what planet you're on!"

Lois shook her head, allowing her long thick hair to flip to one side as she got up from the couch. "I mean the guy landed his only brother, Lex, in a mental institution. After Lionel's death, Lex was never the same. I still think that Julian pulled the trigger, but no one has ever been able to prove squat."

Clark gaped in shock. _This amethyst time shard was jazzed up as well_. "Julian is a pig." Lois remarked, "Everyone knows that. I hate to even associate with him."

Lois breathed deeply as she padded across the hardwood floor towards him. "This isn't about him, Clark. This is about you and me." With that, Lois kissed Clark passionately, startling him.

_This isn't bad at all_, Clark silently praised. _I could get used to this, if only I could forget about Lana_. "Don't you want us to have a good life together, Clark?" Lois cooed in his ear.

"Don't you think we'd make a great team? We'll bring Luthor down and anyone else who stands in our way." She boasted. He brushed Lois's hair away from her forehead. "I do."

Suddenly Clark started. "Someone's here!" He took Lois by the hand and led her towards the barn loft window. _Talk about spoiling the mood_! Lois mentally grumbled.

Clark spotted two figures leaving the edge of the barnyard passing the corral. They were moving slowly away from them. He saw a dark colored jeep parked behind some foliage. The intruders had tried to conceal it from his view.

"What? What did you see?" Lois strained to look over Clark's broad shoulder at the darkened farm. "I'm not sure." Superman downplayed the incident. "Was it Kara?" Lois asked hopefully. "No. Lois, we're being watched." He replied.

"Watched? By who?" Lois felt chills work their way up her spine. "I don't know. Maybe just some average trespassers." He responded. "I doubt it." Lois wouldn't buy his lame explanation.

Clark could've chased them down, yet that would've freaked Lois out even more. One thing was certain in Superman's opinion, someone, or a group of someones were about to seriously screw with them. The jeep roared away.

Continued in Time Shards 2: _Amethyst _

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